Mayor eyes P1-B city hall in Mabalacat

IN A bid to make Mabalacat City a model city, Mayor Crisostomo Garbo is eyeing the establishment of a P1-billion new city hall.

According to Garbo, if the plan of the city government would be realized, the new city hall will be located in a two-hectare lot in Barangay Mabiga here, in front of the Mary Help of Christians Academy beside the San Rafael Church.

“We are planning to purchase two out of the six-hectare lot of a private owner. The lot is worth P400-million. Then, we will construct a city hall worth P600-million with complete facilities and equipment. It is now on the drawing board and the plan is now being finalized,” the city mayor said.

Garbo said the fund will come from a P1-billion bank loan. Asked if the city government has the capacity to pay, he said it has the capacity to enter into a loan agreement because the budget of the city is now tremendously increasing to more than P700-million a year aside from the increasing P1.7-billion internal revenue allotment (IRA) they receive annually.

Garbo disclosed that there will be a two-year grace period before the city government will start paying the principal.

“The loan will be paid for 12 years and we will only allot P8 million per month. That’s around P100 million per year. This will be done without sacrificing the operations, programs, and services of the city government needed by the people,” he said.

“The price of a lot in the area reached P40,000 t0 P50,000 per square meter but the owner of the two-hectare lot offered only P20,000 per square meter for the city, so we grabbed the opportunity.

“We will get only two of the six hectares. At least that would help the owner about the property’s development once the city hall is constructed,” he said.

The P700–million local income of the city comes mainly from Clark Freeport Zone, bus terminals and also from the business taxes.

Garbo said that it is his vision to make Mabalacat City a model city not only in Region III but in the whole Philippines.

“I want to see Mabalacat City free from informal settlers. I dream to convert it into a green city,” he also said. (PR)

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