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Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he plans to build a lighthouse off the coast of the South Road Properties (SRP) as new landmark with the lower portion used as a worship area for Muslims.
“It will have to look very Cebuano... It will not be an eyesore,” Osmeña said.
“We need to create an icon for Cebu. We should stop using the Fuente Osmeña or the Magellan’s Cross.”
The mayor did not mention any project cost or timetable, but said plans will have to wait till he has proceeds from the sale of SRP lots.
He said the structure could replace an old lighthouse in Kawit Island near the SRP.
The upper portion can function as a light beacon and safeguard the pond F area, which is located on the seafront where the SRP’s choice lots are located, he said.
The mayor said he preferred a design that combines the famous Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria and a Muslim mosque.
He said at least P50 million is needed to build a causeway or road to connect the lighthouse to Kawit Island.
Since the base of the structure will be used for a mosque, he encouraged the local Muslim community to chip in.
Negotiations are in progress with at least three big real estate firms who have expressed interest to buy or lease reclaimed land in the SRP.
He said there would be “more concrete” output by next month after he clarifes their concerns since they all were eyeing roadside lots.
“If we sell all the roadside properties, what will happen to the interior lots?” he said.
Joel Mari Yu of the Cebu Investment Promotions Center (CIPC), marketing arm of the SRP, said one company plans to acquire a 17-hectare lot for a two-story mall.
Another firm will develop an information technology complex that will integrate in its plan a research laboratory and IT academy while the third company wants to set up a retirement facility, condominiums and an entertainment center.
Yu said the most expensive SRP lots are found in Pond F. They cost P15,000 per square meter or P150 million per hectare.
The other lots are priced at least P11,000 per square meter, he said.
