By Roderick
T. dela Cruz | Jul. 12, 2015 at 11:20pm [ manilastandardtoday.com ]
Lot prices in
several parts of Albay, particularly in the new economic township called
Guicadale, have climbed by nearly ten times since 2007, after the
calamity-prone province unveiled a new redevelopment plan and implemented a
disaster risk reduction strategy.
Undeveloped
lots in parts of Guicadale which sold for P30 per square meter in 2007 now
command prices of P300 or more per square meter. Guicadale refers to a new township in the towns
of Guinobatan, Camalig and Daraga as well as the city of Legazpi.
Guicadale
covers some 64,000 hectares of safe lands for development, which has been
identified under the province’s disaster risk reduction strategy.
Housing
subdivisions are currently being developed in the area, while commercial and
recreational spaces are laid out with road networks linking up with several
towns and cities and additional 87,000 hectares of upland areas, according to
Albay Governor Joey Salceda.
Salceda said
with disaster risks in the province now properly addressed, Albay’s DRR
strategy is now geared towards economic expansion. Guicadale started with the
build up of 40 resettlement communities for 10,076 people, followed by the
construction of the P4.7 billion Bicol International Airport.
Salceda said
one proof of redevelopment is a tiny village, called Barangay Anislag in Daraga
town, which now teems with people almost equal to a town community where
church, marketplace, commercial spaces and a hospital were established to serve
the needs of its growing population.
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