BY SAMMY JULIAN
FROM a sleepy village with a population of less than 1,000, Brgy. Jolog in Estancia, Iloilo will soon be transformed into a bustling rural community with the arrival of families from Sicogon Island who will occupy the housing units established by Sicogon Development Corp. (SIDECO) and developed by Ayala Land Inc. (ALI).
The entirely new resettlement community is located along Estancia Bay, a fertile fishing ground. This allows fisherfolk to continue with their main source of livelihood.
We were earlier informed by SIDECO that the location was heavily considered so that the impact on the livelihood of the transferees from Sicogon Island is minimal.
The housing type is a 24-square meter duplex unit built on a 55-square meter lot. This is far more spacious than the BP 220 standards (Rowhouse of 18 square meters with lot area of 28 square meters).
The developer also used concrete panel technology with reinforced roofing design built to comply with the standard building code.
In addition, the community is elevated at around 3.5 meters above sea level to ensure safety from storm surges but close enough to the sea, thereby giving residents immediate access to their primary livelihood.
This resulted to a slightly higher development cost to make the most out of the terrain.
The site includes a community center for livelihood projects being planned by SIDECO and its partners, a basketball court and a school located at the highest elevation to double up as an evacuation area during calamities.
The free house and lot package costs close to P500,000 each – a price tag too steep for local governments to afford considering that they, as practiced during natural calamities and fire incidents and depending on their financial capacity, can only extend as much as P5,000 worth of materials, or cash, to families of victims whose houses have been totally destroyed, and between P2,000 to P3,000 only for those whose houses are partly damaged.
So far, majority of the estimated 1,200 resident-families in Sicogon have availed themselves of the two options offered by SIDECO.
Former Sicogon residents who took Option 1 were granted outright cash of P150,000 per household on top of the livelihood assistance and possible job prospects for members of their families once the island is developed.
Option 2 offers free house and lot at the seafront resettlement site.
The lot titles will be named to the heads of families. They will also get livelihood assistance and will be given priority for employment once the joint venture project on sustainable eco-tourism development starts.
Yesterday, no less than Rehabilitation czar Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Gov. Arthur Defensor and other government functionaries led the turnover of the housing units to the initial transferees.
With the issue on the resettlement of Sicogon informal island settlers now addressed, the development of the once favorite playground of the rich and famous can proceed full throttle.
Last month, Jose Emmanuel “Junie” Jalandoni, ALI senior vice president and concurrent president of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp., confirmed that they are exploring a joint venture agreement with SIDECO, owners of the prime island property located in Carles town.
Under its initial development plan for Sicogon, ALI, the leading, most diversified and fully integrated property developer in the Philippines, and SIDECO will jointly develop a total of 60 hectares or 7.4 percent of the island’s total land area.
Aside from the airport, Ayala Land will also develop the jetty port as well as the coastal areas. It will also build a resort, a town center, residential areas, forest trails, shopping centers, retail shops and diving spots, among others.
Jalandoni said ALI envisions Sicogon Island to be the new tourism hub in the Philippines because of the centrality of its location and its accessibility to such other destinations like Boracay, Guimaras Island, Negros, the nearby Gigantes Island, Bantayan Island in Cebu and Malapascua, among others.
Its choice of Sicogon was anchored on the fact that the island was once a top tourist destination prior to tourism boom with its pristine white sand, clear blue waters and rich aquatic resources fit for snorkeling and diving.
We extend our felicitations to ALI and SIDECO. You have a grand vision that needs to be realized./PN
