If New York City has its Manhattan, Pasay City shall have its own version in Manila Bay within a decade and a half.
This fearless prediction is based on what happened 36 years ago.
The tremendous growth being experienced by Pasay City today can be attributed to the visionary and bold move of then OIC Mayor Eduardo “Duay” Calixto in 1987 when the city government acquired for P2 billion the 52-hectare reclaimed land then owned by the Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines or CDCP.
Looking back, it was the single biggest achievement of Calixto, who envisioned converting the reclaimed area into one of the finest and largest commercial centers in Metro Manila.
He said this would “have a multiplier effect once completed. It would create employment for the people of Pasay and additional revenue will be generated from the taxes paid by the businessmen.”
Today, one can just marvel at the great transformation of the reclaimed area, now well-known as the home of the SM Mall of Asia.
The great success of Mayor Duay’s acquisition in 1987 was expected to be followed by new ventures by his intrepid children, namely, his eldest son, former City Mayor and now Congressman Antonino Calixto, and younger daughter, former Congresswoman and now City Mayor Imelda “Emi” Calixto-Rubiano.
Following Mayor Duay’s success is Harbor City, a groundbreaking development project involving the reclamation of 265 hectares of offshore area in Manila Bay for a cosmopolitan, eco-friendly, and iconic waterfront city — ”The Manhattan of Manila Bay.”
The proposed Pasay Harbor Reclamation Project is broken into two islands, located west of Metro Manila, within the municipal waters of Pasay City.
The prophetic vision of Mayor Duay had turned into reality. From the CCP and Mall of Asia complexes in 2015 alone, the Pasay City government earned P3.2 billion in real property taxes and business and work permits. With the proposed project, the city could double, even triple, its earnings, which should translate to more and better services for the people of Pasay.
The horizontal development — roads, bridges, power, water, drainage, sewerage, communication, and other facilities — is targeted for completion in 2038.
Among the Metro Manila LGUs, Pasay City is one of the smallest in terms of land area. However, it has the potential to expand its land through sea reclamation.
The proposed Pasay City land reclamation project along the coast of Manila Bay, near the SM Mall of Asia complex, can produce some 2,650,000 square meters of buildable and developable space. This could translate to about 1,850,000 square meters of building gross floor area, based on the 70% buildable vis-a-vis to 30 percent open space/public area ratio.
This new space could be allocated to tourism, office, residential, commercial, and other non-industrial mixed uses in a master-planned community, including an integrated port facility complex for visiting cruise ships.
The proposed 2,650,000 square meters of reclaimed land is in line with Pasay City Ordinance No. 5768 (Series of 2016) which calls for the reclamation of the identified area located offshore of the current SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City. The project will expand the city’s current land area for economic activities.
The 265-hectare reclamation project is an expansion of the original 360-hectare project and is intended to enhance further the vision embodied in the original project which included further promoting the well-being of the people of the City of Pasay in terms of employment and livelihood; stimulating city growth by providing basic infrastructure and land for the investor; help solve congestion; and actualize the vision of the government through the PRA.
(To be continued)