Bacolod to renovate Old City Hall building

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Aside from the legislative building and new Burgos public market, the local government here is also planning to build a four-story building as part of the rehabilitation of the Old City Hall situated on Luzuriaga Street in the Downtown area.

In a media interview, City Engineer Loben Raphael Ceballos said that they are already in the process of finalizing the project to start the bidding by next year.

“This is a total renovation,” Ceballos said, adding that the city has allocated a budget of P223 million sourced out from the city’s loan with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

This is part of the priority projects of the local government from their P4.4 billion loan with DBP.

Ceballos said the new building will have a library, commercial spaces, government offices, and basement parking.

The design of the project also includes the development of the Fountain of Justice, which is part of the Old City Hall, he added.

Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez said they will find a temporary location for the affected offices so that government employees can continue to provide services.

Benitez said the city is planning to put up a warehouse-type structure as temporary offices for those affected before the renovation of the Old City Hall.

“We will do a plan for them that possibly they will be transferred along the area of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco),” he added.

Benitez said that more projects are lined up next year, adding that these projects will also create more job openings for the Bacolodnons.

“We are in very, very healthy economic development and our job seekers are well provided for,” he said.

“We are just starting to build. We have to follow certain processes. The first thing we did was to secure funding source then we are ready to implement,” he said.

He also said that the city government will also allocate a budget for the furniture and fixtures of the building projects.