Monday, June 16, 2008 President Arroyo wants turn over of 98-yr-old bldg. to city
CEBU City Hall will now be able to pursue its plan to develop the 98-year old Compaña Maritima building at the port area after President Gloria Arroyo decided to turn it over.
Presidential Management Staff Secretary Cerge Remonde announced to city officials last Friday that Arroyo has ordered the immediate turn over of the edifice and the lot where it stands to the City Government.
The triangular three-story building built in 1910 was the old Aduana and named after one of Cebu’s pioneer shipping companies.
It stands on a foreshore land by the South Coastal Road and is under the National Government’s jurisdiction.
“The President wants it turned over as soon as possible. A policy direction has been made and it’s just a matter of implementing it,” Remonde told a press conference last Friday.
The President saw the building while on board a helicopter coming from Argao town last month.
She made the decision after seeing that the Malacañang sa Sugbo has already been refurbished and is well maintained, while the abandoned Compaña Maritima remains idle, Remonde said.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña welcomed the President’s move, as it would pave the way for the opening of a maritime museum and an entertainment and leisure center there.
“I offered it to some prominent people, then we’ll see what they can do. We have to do some cosmetic work, especially the lighting at night, and make it a nice entertainment area. We’ll put a museum for revenue generation and then have some resto-bars around,” he told reporters.
Osmeña declined from naming whom he tapped for the development of the building, which he said would be a showcase in the downtown area.
If developed properly and its antique look is kept, it could even look prettier than the Malacañang sa Sugbo and the Fort San Pedro, he said.
“I wanted to name the entertainment area Banana Republic, but I realized it would not be politically correct with the Malacañang just beside it,” the mayor said in jest.
He was referring to the idiomatic expression that suggests an unstable government in a country where foreign companies dominate the economy.
In 2005, the Regional Development Council laid down plans for a heritage and culture center in the city, which will cover the area near the Malacañang sa Sugbo, including the Compaña Maritima building that will be converted into a maritime museum. (LCR)
