Rep. Erico Aristotle “Aris” Aumentado has exhorted the 2nd District mayors to update their respective Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) – ensuring that these are aligned with the District Economic Master Plan (DEMP).
Aumentado said the updated CLUPs must consider the development and progress of the towns in 10 to 20 years, including the inevitable expansion of the needs for growth centers.
These include markets and malls, bus terminals, seaports, airport and other infrastructure, along with the widening of the road network. The expected boom in population must also be inputted.
More people will need more vehicles, more spare parts and bigger parking spaces and terminals, more farm produce, bigger markets with more products offered for sale, fast food stores, and eateries ranging from carinderias to restaurants, boarding houses and hotels, even more classrooms, bigger infirmaries or hospitals, housing projects, and power, water, and telecommunications utilities, among others.
From three to four buses at a time, Aumentado said the mayors should, as early as now, think of terminals that can accommodate from 10 to 50 buses, with proper ticketing and pre-departure areas.
The towns should also conduct inventories and identify their tourism potentials and the accompanying road requirements.
Buildings must not be randomly constructed. Building officials must see to it that they set back construction according to road classification, otherwise, this will pose a problem when the local government unit (LGU) decides to widen the road.
Aumentado said on top of paying the owners for their property now encroaching into the road right-of-way, they might ask for payment anew for the improvements.
The solon said only when these infrastructure are established will a place be attractive to potential investors.
More often than not, he said, investors pour money only into businesses that they are currently involved in. When they find a locale’s business climate to be suitable, they tend to expand. When they feel the business environment to be friendly, they may venture into new but related businesses.
Putting up infrastructure like seaports, airports, roads and bridges, telecommunications will definitely make a place inviting to locators.
He said these will facilitate the transport going in and out of the locality of goods for raw materials and finished products for marketing.
Harmonizing the towns’ development plans, he said, augurs well for the synchronized and well spread development of the district. (June Blanco)