City Hall complex to rise at the SRP?
CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama plans to transfer City Hall to the South Road Properties (SRP.
That way, all offices of the City Government will be in one place and it will be near other government offices.
“A long time ago, that has already been my dream. Kita na ka ana sa (That’s what they have in) Mindanao. Kita ray uwahi diri (We need to catch up),” he said.
The Court of Appeals (CA) already has a 7,123-square-meter proper-ty at the SRP, while the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 has a five-hectare property in the area. The lots were donated by the City a few years ago.
Emulating Putrajaya
In his regular news conference yesterday, the mayor said he got the idea of putting up a government complex at the SRP from Putrajaya in Malaysia. Putrajaya is the seat of government in Malaysia.
Rama said that transferring City Hall to the SRP will help decongest traffic in the downtown area.
He said he has already instructed SRP Management Office Chief Roberto Varquez to come up with a concept paper for the undertaking.
Varquez, in a separate interview, said the City Hall complex will sit on a two-hectare property across the film facility of Bigfoot Properties Inc.
Aside from the City Hall complex, Varquez said the mayor also plans to put up a government center in a seven-hectare property near the City Hall complex.
Bus Rapid Transit
The government center, Varquez said, will serve as offices of government agencies that want to relocate to the SRP.
Meanwhile, Rama said the current City Hall building can be converted into a museum and a tourist attraction along with Compaña Maritima and Malacañang sa Sugbo, among many others.
Asked if taxpayers and those transacting with the City will not be heavily affected by the move considering SRP’s distance, City Treasurer Diwa said a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will also be established at the SRP.
For the meantime the BRT is not yet in place, the City Traffic Operations Management said a High Quality Public Transport System will be in place at the SRP, using hybrid buses.
The system is expected to be in place within the year.