TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The Estrañero Administration is now pushing for the immediate reconstruction of the city hall which was delayed due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
The reconstruction was supposed to start last March but was postponed due to the lockdown.
Project Engineer Shymer Paragas said that the two-storey building will be converted into a three-story structure with new facilities and amenities aimed at improving working conditions as well as provide better service to the city’s constituents.
Paragas said that once the third floor is completed, various offices like the Information Communications Technology, City Engineering, City Information, Public Order and Safety, City Cooperative, City Population, and City Scholarship will be transferred there.
He added that the third floor will also include new facilities like a command center, internal control unit, a conference hall and an elevator shaft, among other new facilities.
Based on the Program of Works obtained from the City Engineering Office, the expansion costs a total of P30 million derived from the City Local Government’s supplemental budget and development fund.
This amount, he said, is intended for the construction of the third floor and retrofitting of the first and second floors.
The third floor of the City Hall, which will be constructed by Colby Construction within 240 calendar days is seen to decongest offices on the first and second floors and accommodate new ones.
City Mayor Darwin Estrañero, in previous public speeches has cited the expansion of the City Hall as one of his administration’s top agenda.
The City Hall was built during the administration of Mayor Camilo Lammawin. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 8, 2008.
“We want the people to know and understand that this building is already very old that even the ceilings are leaking during the rainy season and that we had been looking forward to immediately solve that,” he said.
By Darwin Serion
