CLI donates P215M worth of socialized housing for cities of Cebu and Mandaue

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

CEBU CITY – Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI), a leading developer in VisMin donated two medium-rise condo buildings valued altogether at P215 million for the informal settlers in Cebu City and in Mandaue City as part of its commitment to provide quality and sustainable in-city vertical socialized housing.

On July 1, 2022, CLI turned over the medium-rise building worth P115M to the Cebu City government for Walk-Up Sugbo 1 at Barangay Lorega-San Miguel and broke ground for the construction of another 90-unit tower 4 mid-rise socialized housing worth P100M for the victims of the 2019 fire in Tipolo, Mandaue City.

“To us, this is the most meaningful project. We are now starting a project that will become a model. It will become a standard. We hope this will be emulated not just by us but also by other developers,” CLI chairman and chief executive officer Jose Soberano III said during the turnover and groundbreaking events.

Soberano explained that CLI gives more regardless of the market it serves, he highlighted that CLI not only build homes, it builds sustainable communities and it wants to give decent homes to the marginalized because they deserve nothing less.

According to CLI that Walk-Up Sugbo 1 is a joint collaboration of Cebu Landmasters, Inc., the Cebu City Government and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) designed to provide quality transition housing for informal settlers living in danger zones.

The Walk-up Cebu 1 is located on a 1,350 sqm property in Barangay Lorega-San Miguel that was completed in less than one year in 2021 with 100 condo units soon to be homes to over 100 beneficiary families who were living in danger areas with more than 60 percent coming from Barangay Lorega, Cebu City.

These families will be resettled to the units on the ground floor to the fifth floor of Walk Up Sugbo 1. Each unit has a floor area of 25 sqm. or more than the 18 sqm. required for socialized housing units with proper ventilation with sun baffles mounted on units with balconies.

CLI described the project as the tallest socialized housing development in VisMin and one of the most generously-appointed socialized housing buildings in the country.

The building features a ground floor chapel, retail spaces for rent, parking area and a Livelihood Training and Multi-Purpose Hall donated by Cebu Landmasters Foundation.

It also has PWD-friendly ramps leading to the fifth floor for the elderly and differently-abled residents. Solar panels will provide electricity for common areas like hallways, stairways and around the property, CLI bared.

Cebu Landmasters’ property management arm CLIPM will also lend its expertise to train Cebu City’s property management to efficiently manage Walk-Up Sugbo 1.  The building will also be provided with a sewage treatment plant to ensure proper solid waste management.

The Tipolo Residences in Mandaue City

With the groundbreaking event on July 1, construction of the 90-unit tower 4 of the Tipolo Residences, also a mid-rise socialized housing building in Mandaue City will soon begin. 

The building is intended for the victims of the 2019 fire in Tipolo, Mandaue City that are temporarily housed inside the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) and for the informal settlers living dangerously along the city’s rivers and creeks.

Each unit in Tipolo Residences Building 4 will have a gross floor area of 24.79 sqm., and it is expected to be completed in 18 months.

CLI applies active and passive green design features to both projects. All units are situated to receive sufficient amount of daylight, reducing energy use. In addition, the ground floor units and common area spaces are lifted to allow cross ventilation and a large self-watering green wall is also integrated to provide cooling.

Both medium-rise housing projects in Cebu City and Mandaue City are CLI’s socialized housing compliance in partnership with DHSUD to make available affordable and decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless settlers.

“This modality is the first done by the private sector and I encouraged other developers to follow suit. I hope similar project can be undertaken not only in Cebu City but also nationwide and in most urban cities that need the active participation of developers,” DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said.

The CLI and Cebu Landmasters Foundation teams worked closely with the local governments of Cebu City and Mandaue City in the social preparation process and gave recommendations on the rental rate, tenure, house rules, guidelines, and property management. (Photos: CLI FB)