The planning of Philippine towns and cities has been a responsibility of the local governments since 1959, after the enactment of Republic Act 2264.1 Under Section 3 of the said Act, the city and the municipal councils are authorized to adopt zoning and planning ordinances subject to approval by the city mayor or municipal mayor, as the case may be, and the cities and municipalities may consult the National Planning Commission on matters related to planning and zoning.
Very few cities have taken advantage of this provision of the local autonomy act (R.A. 2264). Thus far, cities have not prepared and approved comprehensive plans, although zoning ordinances and building codes may have been passed and enforced.
Mounting problems caused by uncontrolled growth demand that the cities should prepare and adopt comprehensive plans to provide direction for urban expansion and to minimize existing problems. Problems Iike traffic congestion, shortage of potable water, inadequate drainage facilities and even environmental pollution are serious in many cities, especially in the Metropolitan Manila area.
Very recently, in some cities, government officials started to show interest in urban planning. They either employed planners to undertake surveys and draft development plans or sought assistance from the National Economic Council (NEC) in order that such studies and plans could be prepared. One such city is Cagayan de Oro. The circumstances and events that led to the preparation of a framework plan for Cagayan de Oro and the conditions that made it possible will be discussed in this paper.