From city to mountain: Cebu's new capitol

WHILE it's been more than three years since Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced that the seat of the provincial government would be transferred from Cebu City to neighboring Balamban, recently released aerial shots of the site development caused quite a stir. Photos posted on Facebook showed a newly constructed road traversing a green, mountainous landscape. The road leads to a large man-made plateau in the middle of the mountains. The photos generated both positive and negative reactions. Some netizens welcomed the expected economic benefit for Balamban and neighboring towns; others lamented the environmental destruction of an otherwise unspoiled landscape.

The new Cebu Provincial Capitol will rise 135 meters above sea level at Barangay Cambuhawe, Balamban. A search on the Department of Public Works and Highways' website shows that the national government is funding major components of the project: 1) "Convergence and Special Support Program, Sustainable Infrastructure Projects Alleviating Gaps (SIPAG), Multi-purpose Buildings/Facilities to Support Social Services, Construction of Multi-purpose building (Cebu Provincial Government Center), Balamban" with a price tag of P193 million in 2022; 2) "Convergence and Special Support Prog., (BIP), Access Roads and/or Bridges from the Nat'l. Road/s Leading to Major/Strategic Public Bldg./Facilities, Const. of an Access Road from the Transcentral Highway Leading to the New Provincial Capitol in Brgy. Pondol, Balamban," with a budget of P79.2 million in 2023. Pondol and Cambuhawe are adjacent barangay. The Transcentral Highway connects Cebu City and Balamban across the mountain range that runs through Cebu island. Lastly, with a budget of P98.7 million and due for completion in January 2025 is the "Basic Infrastructure Program (BIP), Major/Strategic Public Buildings/Facilities Structural and Resilience Program, Construction of Multi-purpose Building (Cebu Provincial Government Center), Phase II, Balamban."