8-storey city legislative building breaks ground

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Iloilo City Government on Oct. 18, 2021 broke ground for the P246-million legislative building.

Architect Regina Gregorio said the 8-storey building will be located at the Ker and Co. Compound, with a total floor area of roughly 4,320 square meters and a 540-sq.m. building footprint.

It will include the offices of the 12 city councilors, the city vice-mayor, the Sangguniang Panglungsod secretariat, conference rooms, session hall, and a 250-plus-capacity auditorium.

Other offices in the building are the city hall employees’ cafeteria and the Office of the Building Official, both in the ground level.

Construction will take eight months to complete, and the city government hopes to augment offices and building elevators as well.

A bridgeway from the third level of the building will be constructed to connect to the main city hall building.

The contractor is E.M. Cuerpo, Inc., and will be funded by the city’s 2017, 2018, and 2019 budgets.

During the groundbreaking, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said that this was the first of many developments under his administration, citing future developments in public plazas and district markets.

He added that this will provide present and future city council members “a more conducive working environment”, as well as “entrusting them a big chunk of children’s and grandchildren’s future”.

“The walls of this building that will house our beloved legislators will be the witness of the hard work and perseverance of our local government leaders as they craft ordinances and resolutions for the betterment of the city and generate resources and revenues for the city’s development plans, program objectives, and priorities,” the mayor said.

Iloilo City Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda also graced the groundbreaking event and congratulated the city government on the project, calling future local legislators “very lucky” with their new building.

“Our city councilors are certainly fortunate, very lucky, in this structure that will help them serve our people better. It will give them a chance to collaborate with the people. This groundbreaking event emphasizes the commitment of our leaders in strengthening its goal of a more inclusive and participatory government. By means of this place, we hope to not only uphold and protect the rights of the members of our community, but to also constantly work towards a progressive society,” Baronda said.

Senator Franklin Drilon joined the event virtually and lauded the city government’s push for its own infrastructure projects for the benefit of the people.

Drilon also cited several projects for the city, which include a P240-million housing project, P120 million for additional construction at the Iloilo River Esplanade, P803-million Iloilo Sunset Boulevard stretching from the Carpenter Bridge to Oton, flyovers along Benigno Aquino Avenue between Iloilo City and Pavia.

But Drilon also lamented the delay in the construction of the Panay-Guimaras-Negros Bridge to 2025, saying that it will still take a long time before the bridge will actually be realized for the benefit of the people.

He also praised Treñas’ leadership, emphasizing the city government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response and continued developments in the city amid the current pandemic.

“This means that [Baronda] and [Treñas] may already have had grandchildren before this bridge will be finished. I am confident that under Mayor Jerry Treñas, Iloilo can move faster as a significant urban center in our country. The mayor’s ability will be shown by his handling of the pandemic,” the senator said.