Cortes to build P800M city hall

Reelected mayor plans to finish 23-story building before his last term ends in 2016

THE Mandaue City Government may have to spend P800 million to build a high-rise City Hall, which is one of the priority projects of reelected Mayor Jonas Cortes.

Lawyer Jamaal James Calipayan, executive secretary of Cortes, said the amount is an initial estimate of architects consulted by the City.

“It’s just a rough estimate,” he told reporters yesterday, adding that the design of the building has yet to be finalized.

Cortes, who won against lawyer and former councilor Victor Biaño in the May 13 elections, earlier said he wants the City Government to transfer to a new City Hall before his last term ends.

Calipayan said the City will have to borrow money from the bank to fund the project.

The proposed City Hall will be located in the site of the old public market in Barangay Centro.

If the initial plan to build a 23-story building will push through, Mandaue will have the tallest City Hall in Cebu.

Calipayan said the building’s ground floor will house the Mandaue City Investment and Promotions Activity Center.

Departments with frontline services such as the City Treasurer’s Office and the Office of Building Official will occupy the lower floors.

Legislative offices will be on the middle floors while the office of the Mayor will be located on the top floor.

Calipayan said the City’s target is to finalize the building’s design within the year. “We hope to finish the construction by 2016,” he said.

Aside from taking out a loan, the City will look for other sources of funds, said Calipayan.

He said the City chose the site of the old market as the location of the new City Hall “because we don’t want to lose the ‘city core’ concept.”

Location The location is adjacent to the National Shrine of St. Joseph and the existing City Hall, also known as the Presidencia.

Among the options considered earlier by the City was the reclamation area in Barangay Labogon.

The City also raised the possibility of buying the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) and turning it into a City Hall.

But possible legal barriers, considering that the CICC is the subject of graft complaints against certain officials, discouraged the City from pursuing the plan.

Calipayan said the 75-year-old Presidencia will be turned into museum.

Cortes has stressed the need to for a new City Hall because the existing one can no longer house all departments of the City Government.

Some of the City’s offices, such as the City Engineering Office and the Department of General Services, are housed in separate buildings away from the City Hall.

A City Hall that will bring all 36 departments together in one building will be a “one-stop shop” for investors, he said.