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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 Feb) – The opposition against the sale of the sprawling Xavier University campus here kicked up into a new level when concerned parents and teachers sought the help of the city council to stop the transaction.
Leaders of the Concerned Parents, Teachers, Alumni & Communities (COPTAC) asked the city council on Monday to stop the sale on the grounds that the campus is a historical and heritage site for Cagayan de Oro.
The leaders also reminded the councilors that the sale of four hectares of its six-hectare main campus along Corrales Avenue would have “serious” implications on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan of Cagayan de Oro.
“The campus cannot just be sold and converted into a commercial district without the city council revising the Comprehensive Land Use Plan,” retired National Economic Development Authority director and alumni Roan Apalisok-Bacal said. Aside from the four hectares it plans to sell in its downtown campus, XU is also selling 14 hectares of its 63-hectare Manresa property in uptown Cagayan de Oro to build “a campus of the future.” The Jesuit-run school entered into a partnership with renowned property developer Cebu Landmasters, Inc. in a deal that could generate P3 billion for the university. XU, however, plans to retain about two hectares of its present campus built right in what is considered the heart of Cagayan de Oro. If plans do not miscarry, the project would be carried out in phases beginning in the second quarter of 2022, announced Xavier. The plan, seen as a move that would literally change the landscape of downtown Cagayan de Oro, started a firestorm among teachers, alumni and old families in the city in 2019. The Father Provincial of the Jesuits and Superior General of the Jesuits in Rome have given the green light for XU to proceed with the transaction. Mayor Oscar Moreno has hailed the plan, saying it would “redefine” Cagayan de Oro.
Bacal said Moreno should be “gently reminded” that any proposed change of the land use of the existing university campus from “institutional to commercial/residential” would need an amendment of the city government’s land use program and zoning ordinance. She said the city government had approved the Lunhaw Urban Design Adaptation project that would transform Cagayan de Oro riverside up to Corrales avenue where the main campus is located, into a Divisoria Heritage park. Lawyer Eddie Cuaresma, also of COPTAC, said a team from the National Historical Institute would be arriving after the May 2022 elections to evaluate the campus buildings that are more than 50 years old. “The entire Xavier University main campus is a heritage campus. It should be preserved for the generations to come,” Cuaresma said. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)