MCDP-III – SRP

MCDP-III as approved and executed actually contains two different projects under two different agencies. The South Reclamation Project (SRP) was implemented by the Cebu City government, through a JICA loan of the city, and paid by the city. The Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR), also loaned from JICA, was constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). They were built by two separate contractors, and were exemplars of how two huge, complicated projects can be done simultaneously in one same area.

As it is now, there is a pond of water which was left unfilled at the SRP, which we have commonly known as Pond A. A lot of people were asking why it is called Pond A. Simple; the original construction plan of the SRP was to divide it into five ponds, i.e., by constructing dikes first to create the five ponds (simply named as A, B, C, D, and E), and fill them up one by one. What was completed, however, and became land, were only Ponds B, C, and F, the latter being a later addition not in the original plan. Pond F is now more commonly known as Il Corso.

What happened to A, D, and E? Pond B we all actually know --that is all the areas currently being occupied by SM Seaside, and all those developments towards Talisay bounded by the CSCR-SRP section. Of course, beside it is the unfilled Pond A. Pond C is the area being worked on by the SM-Ayala Consortium on the other side of F. Vestil Street. Pond F, which we all know by its present name Il Corso, is across the CSCR-SRP section. Pond A remained a Pond. Pond E was a planned smaller reclamation --a separate island actually offshore of Pond C, and Inayawan in the mainland, between the main SRP and Ludo Complex. It was a rather small islet which was dropped from the plans during execution. And Pond D?

Pond D was a 20-hectare area beyond the boundary between Cebu City and Talisay. That bridge there after the SRP is the boundary between the two cities but the SRP was originally included to reclaim 20 hectares in Talisay, too. Unfortunately, during implementation, both cities were required by law, under the agreement between Japan and the Philippines, to provide a local counterpart for the funding. Cebu City did so, but Talisay couldn’t and begged off from the arrangement. As a result, Pond D was canceled. Had it been continued, we would have had now a 20-hectare reclaimed area, beyond the bridge (where the U-turn slot was constructed), similar to the SRP but owned by Talisay. One of those what-ifs we can ask.

In the construction of the CSCR, part of the plan was to use the unsuitable material under the road to be replaced by good sub-base fill material, with the former to be used to fill Pond A. However, the soil turned out to be good and didn’t need replacing so the already acquired good material was used to extend beyond the road forming Pond F, which was not in the original plan. Thus, Il Corso (Pond F) was created while Pond A remained unfilled.