City’s treasury cottage conversion sought

COUNCILOR Betty Lourdes Tabanda recently moved for the conversion of the idle City Treasurer’s Cottage at DPS compound into a multipurpose building and guest house.

The cottage, built on a 755-square-meter lot, was also classified as public land and listed as a city need in 2008, Tabanda said in her resolution.

Some P7 million from the 2008 budget development fund was allocated for the construction of a four-storey multipurpose building to accommodate guests of the City Government and national officials serving the city on a temporary basis.

But this fund was never used since 2008 because recent findings of the General Services Office reveal the City Treasury Cottage is being occupied by two families since 2001 without paying rent to the city.

Despite the earlier resolution explaining the city is not obliged to provide housing for its employees, the situation continues until this year.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan in his weekly Ugnayang Panlungsod presser said this was explained to him by former City Treasurer Thelma Manaois.

Domogan said Manaois told him they have to place caretakers in the cottage to maintain the property.

The mayor said the families occupying the property will be asked to move out once the final development plan for the property is finished.

The City Council approved Tabanda’s resolution on first reading and endorsed it to the Committee on Public Works headed by Councilor Nicasio Palaganas for review.