The construction of the P394 million new government center project of the Bacolod City government is about 88 percent complete based on the assessment of its engineers, Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia said during an ocular inspection of the site yesterday.

The project is supposed to be finished officially by June 30 to comply with the 18-month period stipulated in the contract, he said.

Perry Miranda, the project engineer of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp., is confident that the project will be finished before the June 30 deadline, he added.

Leonardia said the city plans to transfer to the new government center in July. Asked if he will be delivering his state of the city address there, he said, “It looks, from all indications, that we will have it here.” If the project is not finished, they could complete the Sangguniang Panlungsod Hall first, he said.

He recalled having said that his SOCA in 2007 was a sentimental one and could be his last at the old City Hall, Leonardia said.

The three-storey new government center building has a total floor area of 11,000 square meters. The lobby, which is more than 500 square meters, is covered in black and white tiles that resemble the Bacolod Public Plaza.

In front of the building is a fountain with a diameter of 40 meters and circumference of 125 meters. The parking spaces around the building can accommodate 211 vehicles with room for expansion at the back.

The new government center is going to be the symbol of the growth and prosperity of Bacolod, Leonardia said. We believe it is at par with the best City Hall buildings, not only in the Philippines but in other countries, he said.

This is a 40-year-old dream of the city and almost all administrations in the past dreamt of this, Leonardia said. But this time, it is a reality, he said.

“I’m sure this is something we can all be proud of. We intend to bring our people here when it is finished through scheduled tours so that they can feel that this is the new home of Bacolod City,” Leonardia said.

Meanwhile, the city has paid HCC only 51 percent of the contract price. The project started without the city making payments to HCC although, by practice in the industry, there should be a 15 percent mobilization fund before the construction starts, he said. However, HCC started the project before receiving payment from the city to beat the deadline of the donor, the Gonzaga family, which was Dec. 31, 2006, he added.

The Gonzagas had given the city only 30 months to finish everything or they will take back their property, Leonardia said. That is why he wanted the project started right away, to ensure that the property will not revert back to the owners, he said.

The city paid HCC a few months after the project was started and a case was filed against them, Leonardia said. However, the case was dismissed by the Regional Trial Court, he said. It is the Commission on Audit that will determine if the project is reasonable or not, he added.

The project is transparent and open, Leonardia said, adding that they only follow what is legal.

Unfortunately, it seems that in everything they do, cases are being filed against them, he said. It is obvious that this is only due to envy if not outright sabotage, he said.*CGS

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