Oro gov’t ends pact with Tieza

CAGAYAN de Oro City Government has ended its agreement with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza), a government corporation. This decision was made following the approval of a city ordinance by the City Council, Monday.

This change affects how the Cagayan de Oro International Convention Center (CDOICC) will be operated and managed.

Tieza was formed to help build tourism infrastructure, manage areas for tourism, and collect travel taxes.

The city government has now decided to let Tieza take over the running of the CDOICC directly. This means Tieza will choose someone else to help run the convention center.

“The city’s goal is to make the convention center work better and be more useful,” according to Sheila Lumbatan, the City Mayor’s Office chief of staff.

Lumbatan said that by letting Tieza and its chosen partner take over, the city thinks they can improve the convention center and attract more people and events to the city.

“The city decided to end the agreement after thinking about several things,” Lumbatan said.

She said these included how well the third party was doing their job, how much it cost to keep the agreement going, and the possible benefits of running the convention center themselves.

“The city can’t afford to take care of the convention center itself. It would cost almost P20 million just to maintain it,” said Lumbatan.

Instead, by ending the agreement with Tieza, the city can come up with a better and more lasting plan for running the convention center, according to Lumbatan.

The city council’s decision also shows that the city is serious about being open and responsible in its work.

“By letting Tieza take over, they can provide clearer information on the convention center’s finances and decision-making,” Lumbatan said.

This helps build public trust and ensures the convention center works in line with the city’s goals, Lumbatan added.

In his recent State of City Address (Soca), Mayor Rolando Uy said Tieza has the right to manage the convention center and choose its operator.

The city council also said that ending the agreement with Tieza doesn’t mean they won’t work together in the future. For now, however, Tieza wants to have more control over the convention center.

“This change gives Tieza and its operator a chance to show they can improve a public facility,” said Lumbatan, adding this could help Cagayan de Oro become a top place for conferences and other events.

“It also shows the city’s commitment to being open, responsible, and supportive of local power,” she said.

The agreement was set to end either when a third party was chosen to help run the convention center, or when two years had passed.

Meanwhile, the Premier Island Management Corporation (PIMC) has offered to take over the running of the convention center.

This fits with Tieza’s guidelines and means the old agreement is no longer needed.

This new partnership between Tieza and PIMC is a fresh start for the CDOICC, which will now be officially known as the Aquilino Q. Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center.

“PIMC’s involvement should help the convention center attract more high-quality events. This could give tourism in Cagayan de Oro a big boost,” Lumbatan said.

The decision to end the agreement was supported by the Committee on Laws and Rules, which is led by Councilor Edgar S. Cabanlas.

This shows the City Council’s commitment to helping the region grow and develop.