‘Give green tax incentives only to low-cost housing developers’

By Cheneen R. Capon
The Davao City government should only make tax incentives for adopting green spaces available to low-cost housing and socialized housing developers, not to high-end developers, a Davao City-based environment group said.
“As much as we are open to the proposal of incentivizing developers who will implement the 10 percent additional allocation for green space, the government should make it limited to low-cost housing developers who will be the most affected,” Interface Development Interventions (IDIS) executive director Mary Ann Fuertes said in a press conference at the Bahay ni Tuding hotel and restaurant last Thursday.
Fuertes said the incentive scheme would allow socialized housing developers to create more livable space for their homeowners.
As for the possibility of subsidizing housing projects, Fuertes said the developers should not add burden to city government.
“We are open for any discussion of the proposals related to the 10 percent green space on top of the 30 percent open space mandated by law,” she said, adding that the group will send at least one representative every regular session of the City Council to ensure it will be included in all environment-related discussions.
Earlier, Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII) past president and now DCCCII housing and construction chair Architect Daniel Lim proposed subsidizing and  giving incentives to developers who will adopt the vetoed amendment in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of the city to cover the cost of allocating a portion of of their total area to spaces for parks and vegetation.
Lim said he supports Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s veto of the amendment, saying he believes it was done for the greater good of the majority and not just for specific developers operating here.
Should there be any future amendment to the city’ CLUP, Lim said this should be studied carefully and decided not only by a few but by all stakeholders, including developers and buyers
But Philippine Integrated Real Estate Service interim president Dr. Maria Lourdes Monteverde expressed disappointment over the City Council’s decision to accept the mayor’s veto.
“Sayang talaga, in a sense that hopefully, there are ways to soften the blow, like giving tax incentives or perks to green developers. We think that would work best for both the developers and the buyers. If there are tax incentives we will still be competitive and even better,” Monteverde told reporters at the sidelines of last Monday’s joint meeting session of the Ambassador Club Davao and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, Inc.–Mindanao at The Marco Polo Hotel Davao.
Monteverde said the absence of these mechanisms for developers would result in passed-on cost to buyers and consumers.
“Giving tax incentives will soften the blow, so we believe the implementation of this must be looked at,” she said.
Davao City councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta earlier said she proposed for a ordinance that will give incentives to subdivision developers who will incorporate green spaces to their developments.
Acosta said the proposal already passed first reading two weeks ago at the height of the heated discussion on the removal of the 10 percent green space.