Mandaue may start to relocate fire victims inside CICC to make way for planned gov’t center

The proposed government center of Mandaue City.

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The Mandaue City Government may start to relocate fire victim residents who are currently living inside the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) compound within this year.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said this as he welcomed the approval of the Cebu Provincial Board of the resolution allowing the demolition of CICC.

Cortes said though, that before the passage of the resolution, they have also already discussed the matter with Cebu governor Gwen Garcia.

“Nihatag og go signal si Gov. okay ra siya because she has also seen the need, nga angay ta makaangkon ta og bigger city hall,” said Cortes.

(Gov has given the go signal. She’s okay with it because she has seen the need for us to have a bigger city hall.)

The city government plans to build its dream-long one-stop-shop government center inside the CICC compound.

READ: Mandaue City plans to borrow P3 billion for new government center, other projects

With this, the mayor said that they would be relocating the residents living inside CICC to the temporary housing located just behind the CICC before transferring them permanently to the city’s housing project called Tipolo Resdences in Barangay Tipolo.

“Para nako time is of the essence, kinahanglan ma-clear sila para makasugod sad atoang government center. Within the year atoang plano ma hinay-hinay sila ma-relocate,” said Cortes.

(For me, time is of the essence. We have to clear them so that we can start [construction] of our government center. Our plan is to relocate them slowly with thin the year.)

Earlier, Atty. Johnbee Biton, head of the city’s Housing Urban and Development Office, said that the first two buildings of the city’s housing project located in Barangay Tipolo are scheduled for turnover to the city government in May next year.

The clearing behind the “Pasilong para sa Paradise,” the temporary shelter for victims of massive fire in Sitio Paradise Barangay Looc, is ongoing. Cortes said that the transition housing for CICC residents will be built there.

P3 Billion Loan

To be able to construct its dream one-stop-shop government center, the city needs P3 billion.

Last Monday, August 7, the ordinance allowing the city to borrow such amount, was passed by the city council on the third and final reading.

The borrowing ordinance will be submitted to the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), an attached agency of the Department of Finance and will evaluate if the city has a borrowing capacity.

Along with the government center, a parking building, playing area, terminal, convention center, wherein the city is expected to generate income, will also be constructed, said Cortes.

In a previous interview, Marie Immaline Cortes-Zafra, the council’s chairperson of the Committee on Budget and Finance, said that they are confident that the city’s application will be granted. After the approval of BLGF, the city will enter into an agreement with a bank. Mandaue City became debt free in 2021.

CICC Ownership

The Cebu Provincial Board has approved the resolution authorizing Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to sign a memorandum of agreement with Mandaue City allowing the latter to demolish the CICC and build its government center pending resolution from the Commission on Audit (COA) of the request for the review of the sale of the CICC to Mandaue.

In 2017, the Provincial Government during the time of former Cebu governor Hilario Davide III  and Mandaue LGU headed by then Mayor Gabriel Luis “Luigi” Quisumbing entered into an agreement for the P300-million sale of the CICC and the 3.2-hectare compound. The sale was completed in 2018.

READ: Mandaue City now owns CICC

READ: Mandaue LGU settles dues to acquire CICC

READ MORE: ‘I’m happy Mandaue bought CICC for P300-million’, says Davide.

In 2019, the Commission on Audit in its report pointed that the sale lacked public bidding. 

“In case the reappraised value by COA is higher than the original sale price, Mandaue City is willing to pay the balance to the Provincial Government,” according to Sugbo News, the official Facebook page of the provincial government in its March report after the meeting of both parties and a representative from COA.

The dilapidated CICC was constructed during the time of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in 2006 and was used as the venue for the 12th ASEAN Summit in 2007. But in 2013, the building was destroyed by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and Super Typhoon Yolanda.

/bmjo

READ MORE:

Fire razes houses in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City

Mandaue allocates P160M for construction of housing project for 2019 Tipolo fire victims