WHILE asking the 20th City Council for their assistance, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy said he secured an assurance from Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri to fund a possible City Hall transfer to another location.
“I met (privately) with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (and while I assured him of my support during last year’s campaign season) and he told me that I should transfer to City Hall. He also told me that once we find a suitable location, he will allocate half a billion pesos as an initial fund for the City Hall transfer,” Mayor Uy said in Visayan during his radio program last Friday.
Mayor Uy made the disclosure as support for a City Hall transfer from its current location in Capistrano-Hayes Streets, Barangay 1 to a bigger location gained traction in the 20th City Council during their Jan. 9 afternoon session.
Its chief proponent, administration Councilor Edgar Cabanlas, said it’s high time for all City Hall departments and even national government agencies to be located in one area.
“Similar to what former Senate president Franklin Drilon did with Iloilo City, I will do the same for Cagayan de Oro City,” Mayor Uy quoted Senate President Zubiri as telling him.
During his term, then Senate president Drilon facilitated the funding and completion of the multi-billion peso Iloilo River Esplanade, part of the Iloilo River rehabilitation project which included the country’s longest park.
While Councilor John Michael Seno said the old City Hall buildings shouldn’t be sold due to their historical value, Councilor Jay Roa Pascual said any potential transfer site should include commercial spaces for businesses that would be set up in the area such as banks.
Councilor James Judith II also suggested for reference the Palo Leyte model in which the local government leases its building spaces to national government agencies.
“You need only observe what’s going on at City Hall. The workforce is growing and so is the number of clients going there for transactions and assistance. The ongoing business permit registration and renewal also, unfortunately, caused complaints from the business owners who had to spend two hours just to find parking space…so yes, we should (seriously consider) transferring City Hall to a better location,” Mayor Uy said in Visayan. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
