Iloilo City social hall construction stopped

THE construction of the Jubilee Hall in Iloilo’s City Hall was stopped after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) requested to use the area for canvassing of election returns and proclaiming of local winners of the May polls.

City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog said the social hall is the traditional canvassing area of the Comelec to determine the winners of Iloilo City polls and there is a need to enhance and reconstruct the building into a two storey edifice to house a gallery, social events and school meetings and conferences.

Already funded at P50 million taken from the special education fund (SEF) of the local school board, the construction of the Jubilee Hall will commence by June 2013 right after the elections, Mabilog said.

A new building will also soon rise at Plaza Libertad on the site of the senior citizens canteen to house the new renovated canteen and the trade and investment office and gallery.

Funded with P2 million, the construction of the new edifice is expected to start before March 29, date of campaign period, the city mayor said.

Renovation and enhancement of Plaza Libertad is also set to start soon after the plaza was included in the list of city heritage sites to be funded by the National Government.

The other plazas are in Jaro and Molo districts and the renovation funding will be provided by the Tourism Infrastructure Enhancement Zone authority (TIEZA) of the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Other heritage sites up for renovation are the central business district (CBD) and the city central public market and Fort San Pedro.

Mabilog said the development projects are expected to start before the end of the year or until end of 2014.