The Mandaue City reclamation project that will host a central business district and other amenities for the public will finally proceed shortly after more than 20 years of delay, the Mandaue Land Corp. (MLC) said in a statement.
The project was approved in 2001 and 2003 by then Mandaue Mayor Thadeo Ouano, Sr., the father of the current mayor, with MLC as the city’s joint-venture partner. MLC is a member of the Wenceslao Group of companies.
The delay started when Jonas Cortes, who was mayor from 2007 to 2016, brought in another entity, Sultan 900 Consortium, which later assigned its rights to Global City Mandaue Corp. (GMC) of former Cong. Mikee Romero, to reclaim the same area.
In 2016, MLC went to the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) for arbitration and won. Mandaue City was ordered to honor its contract with MLC and to fully comply with its obligations to MLC. The CIAC order was final and executory.
With then Mayor Luigi Quisumbing, the local government complied and issued a notice to proceed in 2019.
That same year, however, Cortes won as mayor again and pushed for GMC. He was, however, dismissed from office by the Ombudsman in 2024 for cause.
With Ouano Jr. as mayor now, MLC said the project can start as soon as permits and documentation requirements are obtained.
MLC noted that the private parties Cortes tapped for the project went to a Pasig court to resolve their own differences. The court, however, was not informed that the CIAC already ruled in favor of MLC and that the city government had already issued a notice to proceed years back.
MLC intervened but was told it was not a party to the case. The Supreme Court, however, said MLC will not be affected since “MLC is not an indispensable party because its interest in the controversy or subject matter is separable from the interest of Paradigm PH and GMC.”
