THE village of Cabatangan will be the site of the new Zamboanga City City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management building, touted as a model of resiliency.

This, as Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar led the groundbreaking ceremony and time capsule laying on Thursday, July 18, for the CDRRM building in the hills of Lot 60, duly registered in the name of the city government, in the village of Cabatangan.

“The command center will be a model of resilience and a legacy for the people of Zamboanga,” Salazar declared as she called to mind the city’s traumatic experience during the 2001 Cabatangan siege.

“This is the sight of the Cabatangan siege and we would want to focus now on resiliency ensuring that this will bring in memories of safety and security,” she added.

She said the proposed CDRRM building’s location is the highest vantage point identified by the local government and can respond during calamities within the central business district and the seven-kilometer radius.

Dr. Elmeir Apolinario, CDRRMO head, said the building, with a command center, will be a three-storey edifice with basement with a total floor area of 7,602.73 square meters.

Apolinario said special features are the surveillance security monitoring room, a press conference room, and quarters for responders and a city mayor's office.

He said the project was bidded out early this year with an initial funding of P100 million. (SunStar Philippines)