MAYOR Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano is pushing for the faster completion of Mandaue City’s new Government Center, currently under construction on the lot fronting the old Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).
During his inspection of the site on Friday, July 18, 2025, Ouano emphasized the urgency of relocating several government offices to the new building to improve public service delivery and reduce operational costs.
As of now, the project is 12 percent complete.
Ouano said that according to the contractor, WT Construction, the first two to three floors of the 10-story building may be ready for occupancy by the end of next year.
These floors will house select government offices, including those currently renting expensive private spaces.
“For example, our Mandaue Investment Promotion Tourism Action Center office is currently paying P400,000 per month in rent. If we can move them into the new building early, we could already start saving a significant amount,” Ouano said.
The mayor added that the City is considering adopting a phased approach to construction, similar to what it plans for the upcoming Mandaue City Hospital.
He explained that opening the lower floors while the rest of the building is still under construction would immediately help address the space issues currently faced by various city offices.
The new Government Center is part of a larger P3 billion development plan agreed upon by the previous administration. Of this, Ouano said P2.5 billion is allocated for the building itself, while P500 million will go to additional facilities and internal requirements.
The local government is eyeing a Public-Private Partnership to help finance the rehabilitation and utilization of the old CICC site, which would eventually help offset the cost of the Government Center.
The P3 billion loan is being financed through the Development Bank of the Philippines with a 3.5 percent annual interest rate.
The City is currently paying only the interest, which amounts to P105 million annually, for the first three years. After that, Ouano said the City will begin paying both interest and principal.
Ouano stressed that the project is long overdue, noting that many of Mandaue’s government offices have been operating in cramped, decades-old facilities. He expressed hope that by next year, the City will have something new to showcase.
“This is a good project — we’ve seen firsthand how cramped some of our existing offices are, many of them over 50 years old. Let’s just wait for this to be completed so we can truly be worthy of being called a highly urbanized city,” Ouano said. / CAV