Mindanaotoday.com | Oro councilors back plan for new city hall site
By: Jigger Jerusalem
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – As Cagayan de Oro’s growth has accelerated in the last couple of years, several of the local lawmakers have agreed that the time to transfer the city hall to a new spacious location is at hand.
At least three members of the city council have expressed their favorable opinion on the proposal of the present administration under Mayor Rolando Uy to move the city hall to a new site.
Based on historical records available at cagayandeoro.gov.ph, the city hall’s executive building, known then as “Casa Real de Cagayan,” was built in 1831.
All Spanish politico-military governors of Misamis, the website said, lived at the Casa Real, at the time when a huge area of Mindanao was called “Cagayan de Misamis.”
In separate interviews, city councilors Joyleen Mercedes Balaba, George Goking and John Michael Seno all have agreed that the time is ripe for the construction of a new city hall compound provided that the existing local government complex will not be sold nor demolished citing the edifice’s historical significance.
“I have nothing against the transfer of our city hall as we are considering the faster delivery of services. The present city hall has become too small for our growing population. As our city has grown bigger, we also need a bigger structure to cater to the higher volume of our constituents,” Balaba said.
The problem of limited parking space within the city’s business district has been an issue since Cagayan de Oro has grown so fast, she said.
“This has been the problem especially during the renewal of business permits and payment of business taxes. The city’s business establishment owners have nowhere to park as we lack parking space at city hall,” Balaba added.
Balaba also believe the existing city hall must be preserved and will still continue to be utilized, for instance, as a museum and should be declared a historical landmark.
For his part, Goking echoed Balaba’s stand, saying, “that’s a very commendable proposal. We have enough resources for the transfer.”
He said the move couldn’t have come at a better time owing to the city’s rapid urban growth where more investors are coming in and putting up businesses.
“Even we, the working councilors, do not have parking space. Councilors in other cities even have their own CR and parking space,” Goking said.
Goking added the proposal to move to new location is a “long-term investment” as he envisioned a “government hub” that would be fit for a highly urbanized city like Cagayan de Oro.
The city councilor said he will also oppose any bid to sell the present city hall complex and instead of selling it, it must be used for other important purpose.
Seno, the Sangguniang Kabataan city federation president and public works chair, said the land near the eco-park in Barangay Carmen should be a feasible site for the new city hall complex.
He said the lot, which spans 27 to 30 hectares, should be sufficient for the location, especially if the city government needs a sprawling area with adequate parking space.
Seno said the mayor has already announced on his weekly radio program that Senate Pres. Juan Miguel Zubiri has pledged to set aside P500 million for the proposed transfer should it pushes through.
“It’s a spacious land and it’s beside the eco-park. We can even build separate buildings for the executive and legislative,” he added. (MT)
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