Silay ready to construct P1-B gov’t center

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  • MITCH M. LIPA

The P1 billion New Government Center of Silay City in Negros Occidental will soon be a reality, with Mayor Mark Golez and other city officials leading the groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 16.

The government center will be constructed in the 6.5-hectare property in Hacienda Maquina, Brgy. Rizal, Silay, which was donated by the family of Rob Jalandoni, who is also the donor of the sites for the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital, the Domus Dei, and the Doña Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School, all in Silay.

The deed of donation for the 6.5-hectare lot was signed by Golez, for the Silay City government, and representatives of the Jalandoni family in the second quarter of 2021, upon the concurrence of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the mayor said.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the P1 billion New Government Center of Silay City in Negros Occidental will be held on Feb. 16, to be led by Mayor Mark Golez and other officials, and the project, to be completed in four years, is expected to change the landscape of the city and will spur development in areas near the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway.

The P1-billion budget will be sourced through a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines, and is a design-and-build project which promotes the Silaynon heritage, Golez also said.

The two-storey New Government Center will definitely change the landscape of the city and will spur development in areas near the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway, which traverses from Bacolod City to Victorias City, he said.

As stipulated in the memorandum of agreement, Golez said the construction of the government center would be completed in four years.

Golez said he considers the government center as his landmark infrastructure project during his incumbency as mayor of Silay City. He is up for reelection in the May 9 polls.

The 54-year-old Silay City Hall, meanwhile, will be converted into a museum or will house various national government offices.

Golez said that because of the Supreme Court Mandanas ruling, the National Tax Allocation of Silay rose to P1.020 billion starting this year, from P800 million.

While the city has a credit line of P1.4 billion to secure loans with the DBP, Golez said the local government prefers to only borrow P1 billion.

The groundbreaking rites will start 9 a.m. Feb. 16, with 3rd District Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez and Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson among the invited guests. — MML