Soon to rise in Malabon: 11-story City Hall building

After almost two decades of planning, an 11-story modern City Hall building would soon rise in Malabon City.

"The actual construction of the P380-million City Hall building would start next month," Bong Padua, Mayor Canuto "Tito" Oreta’s public information officer (PIO) said.

According to Padua, the new edifice would have a total floor area of 10,148 square meters and is designed to offer first-class services to city residents.

The structure would be constructed where the old City Hall was built.

Padua said that what makes this new building different from that of the other cities is that "it preserved the old building structure in order to save cost and time in its entire development."

"The spaces were planned carefully to primarily cater to the needs of the residents and people who do business with the local government," Padua said.

He said the city government, through the efforts of Oreta, was able to secure a loan from the Landbank of the Philippines to finance the project.

Padua said that 30 percent of the project’s funds came from the local government’s supplemental budget acquired through its computerized tax collection.

The main road at the back of City Hall on F. Sevilla street in Barangay San Agustin has been closed to traffic beginning last week as operations are underway to clear obstructions surrounding the old building.

Among the structures to be demolished is the nearby city jail. The jail facility would be transferred to Barangay Catmon, wherein the offices of the justice department are located, Padua said.

Also being constructed adjacent to City Hall is another project, a state-of-the-art sports complex equipped with an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

"Mayor Oreta is urging city residents to support his programs since development means improve commerce and more job opportunities for his constituents," Padua said. – Pete Laude