Cebu is growing and that growth will be sustained with the inflow of more infrastructure projects. Here are some of the projects that you can expect to rise in the Queen City of the South in the next few years to come.

MCIA Terminal 2

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) Terminal 2 aims to be the “friendliest gateway to the Philippines” and will be completed in June 2018. Its first phase covers 45,000 square meters while its second phase will be for expansion. The new terminal will cater to international flights. It is equipped with 8 aerobridge-equipped aircraft parking stands, 48 check-in counters that can expand to 72, and a car park for 500 cars that is expandable to fit 750 cars. Terminal 2 will be linked to Terminal 1 via a link-bridge. The new terminal’s architectural features will showcase Cebuano culture and heritage combined with modern building materials, as well as the Cebuanos’ warmth and hospitality. The expected annual throughput is expected to increase to 12.5 million from 4.5 million upon the completion of Terminal 2.

Metro Cebu Expressway

The 74-km expressway will connect Danao City in the north to Naga City in the south, reducing the 3-hour travel time to around 1 hour and 25 minutes. It will feature four to six lanes and will make history as Cebu’s first ever expressway. The project is enrolled under President Rodrigo Duterte’s #BuildBuildBuild program that aims to usher in the ‘golden age of infrastructure’ in the Philippines. The P50-billion expressway will have three phases and is expected to be completed before Duterte’s term ends in 2022. The first phase will cover Talisay City to Cebu City then to Mandaue City. The second phase will span from Consolacion to Liloan to Compostela and Danao City. The last phase will cover Naga City to Minglanilla. The project will be funded by the DPWH.

Cebu-Cordova Bridge

The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway is an 8-km toll bridge facility worth P28 billion. It was proposed by the local governments of Cordova and Cebu City. The bridge will be made up of an approach viaduct, a main bridge stay cable, toll plaza, on-and-off ramps, and secondary bridges. It was constructed in order to help solve the Cebuanos’ traffic woes and improve their overall welfare as it connects Cordova in Mactan Island to mainland Cebu. The CCLEX will span from the mouth of the Guadalupe River to Shell Island and Cordova. The bridge will also offer an alternate route to and from the Mactan Cebu International Airport. The facility CCLEX is constructed under a private-public partnership scheme with Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation. MPTDC, led by Manny V. Pangilinan, will build, manage, and operate the CCLEX.

Bus Rapid Transit System     

The planned Bus Rapid Transit system in Cebu is one of major infrastructure projects included in the Dutertea administration’s #BuildBuildBuild program. It is one of at least three BRT systems to be implemented by the Department of Transportation (DOTr). The construction of these BRT systems aims to establish 77km of segregated busways and boost bikeway and pedestrian facilities. According to local media reports, the BRT will span from Bulacao in the south to Talamban in the north. Phase 1 will cover 16km and includes the construction of bus stations, bus ways and other facilities on Osmeña Boulevard, specifically covering the area from the Cebu Provincial Capitol to Fuente Osmeña. The facility will boast of 33 bus stations with 176b buses. It is estimated to serve as many as 330,000 passengers daily. The project’s second phase will be at the South Road Properties, particularly on commercial roads I and II. The 10.6-billion project is funded by the World Bank and Agence Francaise de Development.

Underpass Projects      

Cebuanos can look forward to enjoying two underpass projects in Metro Cebu. The first one, worth P750 million, will be built at the intersection of N. Bacalso Ave. and F. Llamas St. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar revealed that construction may begin this year and may be completed in one to two years. The first underpass is projected to cut travel time from Cebu City to Talisay City by 50 percent. The second underpass, estimated to cost P1 billion, will be constructed along U.N. Avenue in Mandaue City. It will be built as a four-lane depressed structure that will help Cebuanos lessen travel time from Mandaue City to the airport. Bidding for the project is slated to start in the latter part of 2017.

Rockwell’s Aruga Resort

Rockwell Land Corp. will build a beach resort in Punta Engaño in Mactan Island to cater to Cebu’s tourism boom. The 300-room resort will be under the Aruga brand. It will have sky suites on the upper floors, giving occupants panoramic views of the beachfront that stretches up to 25m long. The P4-billion resort will also feature private villas, which will have directly connected to the beach. The project will start construction in the third quarter of 2017 and is expected to be completed by 2021.

An aerial view of the Rockwell Center now. Image from Rockwell Land

Dusit Princess Hotel

This is a four-star hotel that will rise in the Cebu North Reclamation Area. It is a partnership project between Gaisano-owned Grand Land Inc. and Dusit International. The Dusit Princess Hotel will have 295 rooms occupying 11 floors of the 30-story Grand Tower Cebu. It will be constructed right across the SM City Cebu Northwing. The P2-billion project will mark the Dusit’s first foray in the Visayas. The hotel is targeted for completion by 2018. The Dusit Princess Hotel will boast of facilities including meeting rooms, fine dining restaurants, fitness gym, and swimming pools. It will be housed in the same building, the Gand Tower Cebu, that will offer 309 condominium office units in 12 floors and retail and commercial spaces occupying the ground floor.

Mactan Newtown’s Plaza Magellan

This is a three-level lifestyle mall set to be constructed in The Mactan Newtown developed by Megaworld Corp. The mall will have its entrance plaza facing the Lapu-lapu Shrine. But the mall’s highlight will be a life-sized replica of the Spanish galleon Victoria, the historic vessel that was able to circumnavigate the world, and the Spanish steps that lead to the mall’s main entrance. Plaza Magellan will also have a museum that will showcase Magellan’s life and expeditions. It will be designed with the hilltop towns of Spain and Portugal in mind. The mall will also boast of arcaded walkways, courtyards, cupolas, towers, and ornately decorated doors and windows. Megaworld is reported to be breaking ground for the mall in 2017 and will finish it in two to three years, just in time for the 500^th anniversary of Magellan’s arrival in Cebu in 2021.

Ascott Limited’s Citadines

Citadines is an international serviced residence that will rise in midtown Cebu. It is set to open by 2019. The residence is The Ascott Limited’s first project outside of Metro Manila. The Citadines’ target market includes leisure or business travelers who are planning on staying in Cebu for a month or more. The condotel will have 190 units. The Citadines will offer units in various sizes, from studio king to loft. Guests will get to enjoy its fully functional kitchen, home entertainment, fitness center, swimming pool. It will be housed at the Base Line Center, located in Cebu’s old landmark uptown, which used to be the city’s sports and recreation center since it was established in 1973. The building will have restaurants, retail outlets, and commercial spaces.

Ascott will also manage a second serviced residence in Cebu City called The Suites at Gorordo. The 28-storey building is located near Cebu Business Park and will offer 155 serviced residence units. Guests may choose from among one-bedroom, dual key two-bedroom units, or studios. The P1-billion condotel will also feature a sky lobby, sky garden at the rooftop, fitness gym, outdoor swimming pool, function rooms, and a residents’ lounge. The Suites at Gorordo will mostly cater to families or executives on vacation. It is targeted to be completed by 2021. The condotel’s design is inspired by New York’s iconic Flatiron Building.

The Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort

This 250-room resort will rise in Mactan, Cebu in 2019. It will also house the 186-unit The Residences, which will open by 2020. The luxury development will occupy five hectares in an enviable area overlooking the Magellan Bay and Hilutungan Channel. The resort will provide space to accommodate meetings, conventions, weddings, exhibits, and other events. It is designed to provide locals and tourists alike with a residential lifestyle. The Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort also offers amenities including three dining venues, the Shine Spa for Sheraton, lobby lounge, and recreation facilities.

Ayala’s Seda Hotel

Ayala will open Seda Central block in Cebu IT Park by 2019. It will have 240 rooms. This will serve to increase Seda’s hotel portfolio to 3,281 rooms around the country by 2019. Seda’s brand aims to become the leading Filipino hotel brand that provides for the needs of travelers in the country.

Jinjiang Inn

A new Jinjiang Inn is expected to rise in Cebu City. The Hotel of Asia Inc. (HOA) is the exclusive master franchisee of the hotel brand in the Philippines. HOA, in turn, is a subsidiary of DoubleDragon Properties Corp. The expansion in the hotel’s capacity is based on the anticipate surge in Chinese tourists and business activities in the Philippines, partly due to the improving relations between China and the Philippines, as noted by Injap Sia, one of the owners of DoubleDragon.