The 117-hectare The Upper Central will host residential villages, commercial district, shophouses, town center, mixed-use developments in the highlands of Northern Mindanao’s premier gateway

Township developer Megaworld, through its subsidiary Global-Estate Resorts, Inc. (GERI), is developing a 117-hectare integrated lifestyle community in the highlands of Cagayan de Oro City.

Located along J.R. Borja Road in the highlands of Barangays Gusa and Indang overlooking Downtown CDO, The Upper Central will feature residential villages, a pedestrianized commercial and shophouse district, mixed-use developments, and its own town center highlighted by scenic views of the Macajalar Bay and the Malasag Mountain Range.

With its sloping terrains and a highest elevation of around 245 meters above sea level, the township will also have a central park, distributed landscaped open spaces, and several viewing decks for future visitors and residents. There will also be mountain and bike trails as well as its own adventure park.

Around 40% of the entire township will be dedicated to green and open spaces, including roads.

It is strategically located just 10 to 15 minutes away from the city’s downtown area, and less than an hour away from Laguindingan International Airport, the main airport of Cagayan de Oro and the entire region of Northern Mindanao.

“We are envisioning to build a whole new lifestyle district in this higher part of Cagayan de Oro. The views are just amazing and breathtaking, and we are excited about how this area will be transformed into a vibrant community,” says Monica T. Salomon, president, GERI.

With GERI as the primary developer of The Upper Central, it is allocating an initial P5-billion to develop the entire integrated lifestyle community in the next 10 years.

Latest data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) this year showed that Cagayan de Oro is the second richest city outside of Metro Manila in terms of per capita GDP.

UK-based Oxford Economics also ranked Cagayan de Oro as the third city in the Philippines with the largest urban economy, next only to Manila and Cebu.

“Ever since, we have already set our eyes on Cagayan de Oro City because this is the gateway to many parts of Northern Mindanao. For the past years, our Group has been carefully evaluating the concept of development that we want to put in this bustling city. Now is the perfect time to take part in the booming real estate industry of this side of Mindanao,” says Kevin L. Tan, president and CEO, Alliance Global Group, the parent company of Megaworld.

“The Upper Central will be a milestone development as it is our 35^th township launched on our 35^th year in the Philippine real estate industry. As we develop this new township, our vision as a developer remains:  to help uplift the lives of the community and also to help propel the local economy through the jobs that we create. We hope to impart this lasting impact to Kagay-anons and the rest of the people of Mindanao,” says Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso, president, Megaworld.