By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat A local port planner and developer is set to reclaim a 40-hectare area for port and mixed-use development in Batangas City with initial investment of P3 billion. The Batangas Port Planners and Development, Inc. (BPPDI), a subsidiary of the Leviste Group of Companies has chosen Melekon Contractors, Inc. (MCI), a local reclamation and construction specialist, to be its main contractor for the mega project. It will be strategically located beside the Batangas International Port, the only international port in southern Luzon and one of the busiest ports in the country. According to Bettina Nicole Reyes, MCI vice-president for marketing, the project was recently granted its Notice to Proceed (NTP) by the Philippine Reclamation Authority and its Environmental Clearance Certificate (ECC) by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “We hope to start the project immediately by the first quarter of 2019,’’ Reyes said. The initial investment of P3 billion only involves the reclamation cost of the 40-hectare area. Engr. Silvino M. Lambino, MCI head for construction said the P3-billion project cost already includes all the civil works such as land reclamation and construction of the administrative buildings, bridges, roads, and port facilities. The project’s main components include a port facility, a commercial zone, an industrial zone and a mixed-use hotel and condominium zone. Engr. Liborio Antonio Palafox, MCI Project director, expressed optimism that MCI can finish the project by 2020, which according to him is a feat in itself by the industry standards. MCI is a Filipino-owned engineering, procurement and construction company with expertise in power projects, underground construction, dredging and reclamation, roads, bridges and electro-mechanical works. MCI, which holds main office at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Ortigas Center, specializes in delivering turn-key solutions for hydro, wind, solar and biomass renewable energy projects.