AS is the normal sequence, the horse should have pulled the cart. But in the case of the new Manresa Town being developed by Cebu Landmasters Inc., the cart was hitched before the horse.
It does not take a seer or clairvoyant to see into the congested future of uptown Cagayan de Oro. In fact, the urban woes have already begun – traffic snarls, flooding, land use problems. Any new development in that district should meticulously adhere to the government-prescribed order of things – conduct first the Environmental Impact Assessment before launching the project.
CLI and Xavier University, whose new Masterson Campus will be built by CLI alongside the mixed development Manresa Town, first launched the project before conducting the assessment. Now, the project could be in limbo because of non-compliance issues raised by the Environmental Management Bureau.
It should be remembered that among the significant opposers were residents of Lower Balulang who live below the slope of the rise known today as Manresa. They had conducted a protest rally at Divisoria right across the XU Ateneo campus. Did the XU leadership listen to them? It did not, even if some of the protesters were former employees of the late Fr. William Masterson SJ at Manresa Farms.
EMB’s first issue with XU-CLI is the problem of drainage and flooding, exactly as the Lower Balulang opposers had warned. “Proceeding its implementation without a firm commitment from government” to provide infrastructure for drainage and receiving waterways will result in “more frequent flooding in Lower Balulang.”
The XU-CLI plan proceeded without guarantees for the Lower Balulang residents. That is a mystery that is unfathomable coming from the institution that primes its alumni to be “men and women for others.” In fact, the EMB emphasized that there were “manifestations from affected residents.” EMB’s straightforward requirement: “Please identify the final location of drainage outfall,” but also that such a compliant public drainage system be completed AHEAD of the project’s construction schedule.
That’s not the worst part yet of EMB’s admonitions against XU and CLI. Both proponents submitted a Traffic Impact Assessment before validation and approval of the Roads and Traffic Authority of the city, which the EMB said should have been secured “prior to the start of any development activity.” Again, the cart was hitched before the horse.
The proponents proposed a spine road connecting Masterson Avenue and Lower Balulang towards the Balulang Bridge without providing relevant information. It also did not present any analysis of how the road will mitigate traffic congestion during peak hours. “NOT ACCEPTABLE,” said EMB in bold letters. EMB also said both proponents presented two separate traffic studies that did not bear the signatures of external experts. Again, “NOT ACCEPTABLE,” said EMB.
On the matter of sewage treatment facility, the EMB said it did not include phosphate removal and disinfection in the treatment process. Also absent was a treatment process for excess sludge. XU said it has a wastewater treatment facility in its Center for Industrial Technology campus in Manresa, without providing “proof of its existence and even photographs.”
EMB also found that detention tanks that will receive discharge septic tank effluent would infiltrate groundwater aquifers, in contravention of the prohibition in the Clean Water Act. “NOT ACCEPTABLE.”
The proponents submitted a Rapid Assessment of Flora and Fauna that was not signed by the experts who conducted the study.
On the issue of flooding, the proponents claimed it could only address flooding concerns within the development site. Outside the project boundaries, they leave that to the Local Government Unit. But EMB contends: “If the issue is not addressed, the residents of Balulang will suffer severe impact as a consequence of said proposed development.” The EMB noted that the proponents do not even have data on how many households are in flood-prone areas. It is unbelievable that XU has not reached out to these opposers, many of who are urban poor.
Perhaps the most surprising part of the EMB’s assessment is on the opposing group COPTAC (Concerned Parents, Teachers, Alumni, and Community). EMB said that both XU and CLI had “no response on this issue.” We have said before that XU had conducted dialogues where opposing views were not allowed. The XU leadership was invited by COPTAC for dialogues, which they snubbed. That is the new meaning of “men and women for others.”
The EMB ended, “Failure to comply shall compel this Office to deny your Environmental Compliance Certification.” Reynaldo S. Digamo signed in his capacity as EMB-10 Regional Director. It was addressed to Lennie K. Ong, treasurer of Xavier University.
Xavier-Ateneo, what do you teach its students about the rule of law?
