Former Cebu City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) head Architect Joseph Michael Espina has urged local officials to implement three critical strategies for long-term, watershed-focused development in Metro Cebu. The proposal comes as repeated flooding and environmental degradation highlight the urgent need for regional solutions.
From Small Interventions to Regional Planning
During SunStar Cebu's "Beyond the Headlines" online news program on Monday, November 24, 2025, Espina explained that the frequent flooding in Cebu demonstrates the necessity to shift from small-scale interventions to structural, regionwide planning. He emphasized that implementing these strategies requires coordinated action across multiple Local Government Units (LGUs), national agencies, and the private sector.
Espina identified political will as another crucial factor to combat the destruction of watersheds and protected landscapes. The three strategies he presented are derived from the master plan developed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Three-Pronged Approach for Sustainable Development
The first strategy involves creating new coastal development from Danao City in the north to Carcar City in the south. This approach aims to decongest Metro Cebu's urban center by distributing population and business opportunities throughout the metropolitan area.
Espina stressed that this development would only succeed if supported by a modern mass transit backbone, such as the proposed MRT system currently undergoing feasibility assessment by a Japanese group. Reliable transit would encourage people to reduce car dependency, thereby lessening pressure on watersheds.
The second strategy focuses on establishing a "green belt" throughout the Mananga, Butuanon, and Cotcot watersheds - three of Cebu's most critical drainage basins. This nature-based solution would expand floodplains, strengthen forest cover, increase tree planting, and implement upland conservation.
These measures would allow the mountains to function as an "absorptive sponge", slowing down floodwaters before they reach downstream communities, particularly following severe rainfall events.
Transit-Oriented Development for Metropolitan Connectivity
The third strategy, known as the Green Loop, envisions a circumferential, transit-oriented development ring connecting Cebu City, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, and Cordova. According to Espina, this loop aims to redirect development away from mountainous areas and channel growth toward urban district centers supported by modern mass transit stations and high-density infrastructure.
By concentrating development along this corridor, the approach prevents further encroachment into ecologically sensitive mountains while creating a more efficient, well-connected metropolitan region. This comprehensive planning framework represents a significant shift toward sustainable urban management for Metro Cebu's future.
