Muntinlupa to develop own Baywalk

Sightseers from the southern part of Metro Manila and nearby provinces will soon have their own "Baywalk" as Muntinlupa City has started work on a major beautification project at Laguna de Bay.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said they began constructing last week a stone sea wall at the edge of the lake in Barangay Bayanan. The project is expected to be completed in four months.

"We have been planning this for years now. We thought that by inviting people through beautification project, economic development will follow," the mayor said.

Visitors need not worry about their safety, especially during rainy season because "we elevated the area and the wall would prevent the water from reaching the site," Fresnedi explained.

And if Manila Bay has the Manila Yacht Club, he said, Muntinlupa City is now making arrangements with the Laguna Lake Development Authority to develop a "Boat Club" at the new site.

Fresnedi said the development of the three-hectare land, which costs P200 million, is also expected to pave the way for improvement projects in the barangay.

"This development will continue until next year. The host barangay will also benefit from this," he said.

The mayor said they would put up in Barangay Bayanan a new schoolbuilding, a day-care center, a drug rehabilitation center, a health center, a senior citizens center and a center for women.

He said the area would be very accessible since it is near exit points of the South Luzon Expressway.

Fresnedi said that once the project is completed, they would be welcoming business establishments in the area.

Apart from the project, the city is also working on establishing a training center as well as putting up a sports complex in Barangay Putatan.