THE Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) HAS reaffirmed ITS COMMITMENT TO support infrastructure projects that spur economic growth.

One of the projects is the Cebu-Magdugo 230 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line Project, for which the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has launched an expropriation claim against Tieza, as an affiliated agency of the Department of Tourism (DoT).

“Energy is as vital a component of tourism as the development of infrastructure programs that positively impact the community and the local tourism industry of Cebu’s uplands,” the DoT said in a statement on Friday.

The development of transmission towers on the Cebu-Magdugo 230-kV line in Cebu has been suspended.

The 33-kilometer line runs from NGCP’s substation in Cebu City to Toledo City, passing through the mountainous villages.

After Tieza filed a complaint, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on September 11 to suspend the tower-building project.

The agency said two towers are on its property, which is being developed as a golf course.

The NGCP has also issued a writ of possession for the property as early as October 2022, submitted its response to the petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court on September 26, and is awaiting a ruling.

“The Kang-Irag Property in Cebu is not just limited to the development of a golf course but has been considered for other types of tourism development such as naturebased, leisure, and agriculture/ farm tourism that can provide livelihood and employment to many Cebuanos, considering the area is home to cut-flower, crop and vegetable farmers,” the DoT said.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco has directed Tieza to communicate with the NGCP to serve the public’s best interests.

In an email to The Manila Times on Sunday, Tieza said it was coordinating with the NGCP.

Cagayan de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez criticized that a government agency’s proposal to build a golf course in Cebu is impeding the connection of the Visayas and Mindanao grids.

“I am urging the Tieza to withdraw its petition before the Supreme Court opposing the construction of a power line that would lead to the Visayas-Mindanao interconnection,” Rodriguez said.

“This agency has misplaced priorities. It shows a golf course as more important than the power interconnection of Visayas and Mindanao, which will unlock enormous development potentials in these two large islands, in addition to energizing many urban and rural communities,” he said.