CICC (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes has found another idea on how to repurpose the mothballed Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).
Cortes in a letter to the Provincial Board on May 12 had expressed the city government’s intention to acquire the CICC from the provincial government.
Should the city government succeed in their plan, Cortes said they would rename the CICC as the Mandaue Expo and Convention Center which will then serve as the centerpiece of the city’s South Point Commercial District.
Cortes said City Hall will repair and renovate the facility which was heavily damaged in last year’s earthquake and will be converted into an exhibition center in collaboration with the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).
The CICC, which was built by the provincial government in 2006 for the 12th Asean Summit and 2nd East Asia Summit, has a gross floor area of 28,000 square metres and is located on 3.8 hectares of land at the Mandaue City Reclamation Area.
The site where the convention center now stands was originally intended for a sports complex dubbed as the “Cebu Mega Dome”. The project was however halted after some members of the provincial board opposed it.
Then Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia revived the “mega dome” project after the province was designated to play host to the Asean summit but the design was revised as a convention center instead of a sports arena.
CUSTOMIZE DEVELOPMENT
Cortes said they plan to develop the CICC’s unused spaces which would be offered for lease to private establishments as well as build a public transport terminal which will also house a travel agency and traveller’s lounge.
“With this customized development of the CICC among others, we hope that it will become the nerve center of the Mandaue South Point Commercial District and help us propel the city’s attainment of the Mandaue 2020 Vision which is to be the primary source of high-quality manufactured consumer products,” Cortes said.
Despite the proposed developments, the facility will continue to function as a “premier destination for conventions and conferences in central Philippines,” he said.
The Mandaue City Council has passed a resolution supporting Cortes’ plan.
The City Council cited the lack of profit coming from the facility since its closure in October last year due to the damage it incurred from last year’s earthquake.
“Due to the structure’s damages, no more activities have been undertaken compounding the disadvantages against the City of Mandaue as the prime commercial lot will not even earn a single centavo as an income for the city coffers,” the resolution said.
“For Mandaue City to enjoy the benefit of the use and maximize its productivity being an economic enterprise, it is imperative for the city to purchase the edifice for the sole management and operation and facility,”
The facility was initially considered as one of the venues of the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation that the country is hosting. The cost of repairing the structure, estimated at P160 million however discouraged organizers and dropped the facility from the list of possible venues.