CEBU, Philippines — Construction of the P600 million civic and business center in Dumanjug town, southwest Cebu is set to start soon after it officially broke ground on Friday, October 4, 2024.
The civic and business center, to be named in honor of the late governor and congressman Pablo "Pabling" Garcia, will soon rise in a 27-hectare property in Brgy. Tapon.
Mayor Efren Guntrano Gica said that the Capitol-inspired center, called the Pablo Garcia Civic and Business Center, is in honor of the late governor’s legacy, who he said served the province and district with distinction.
“It is just right and proper nga tagaan og pasidungog, honor ang atong former congressman, former governor nga taga-Dumanjug,” said Gica in a report by Sugbo News, Capitol’s official media arm.
Dumanjug is dubbed “Home of the Governors” with at least three Cebu Governors hailing from the town, including Governor Dionisio Jakosalem (1907-1912); Gov. Pablo Garcia (1995-2004); and Governor Gwendolyn Garcia (2004-2013; 2019-present).
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia led the groundbreaking ceremony, along with her brother, third district Representative Pablo John “PJ” Garcia.
Aside from the provincial and town officials, other members of the Garcia family were also present during the ceremony.
This soon-to-rise civic and business center in Dumanjug will also serve as their new municipal hall.
As reported, the mayor said that the budget for the said building is sourced from various sources.
“The fund is gipangayo nato sa mga opisyal sa national and naa pud gipangayo si Gov dinha. So mao na nga naa tay igo igo nga pundo,” Gica previously told The Freeman.
The construction of the center is expected to be completed in one to two years. Once completed, the LGU will house its different offices in the center.
heritage museums
Meanwhile, three ancestral homes in Brgy. Ylaya, also in Dumanjug, which have been transformed into heritage museums, have officially opened on Friday, October 4, 2024.
Governor Gwen and Mayor Gica led the official launching of the heritage museums during the town’s fiesta celebration.
One of the newly opened museums is the former home of Gov. Garcia’s parents, and is the house where Gov. Gwen and her siblings were raised.
As reported by Sugbo News, Capitol’s official media arm, the Garcia residence has been restored by their family and is now recognized as the “Pablo Paras Garcia Museum.”
Next to the Garcia Museum are two ancestral houses owned by the Tan and Melgar families. On the same day, family representatives Victor Tan, Nono Tan, and Elsie Tan signed a deed of donation with the Cebu provincial government, officially transferring ownership of their ancestral home to the province, the report added.
It said that the donation involves a 200-square-meter property, allowing the government full authority to preserve and restore the heritage house.
Built in the 1890s from coral stones and wood, the ancestral home originally belonged to Marcela Mercado Melgar, who was married to a Chinese businessman. The Cebu provincial government will now provide funding for the restoration of this heritage site.
Being the first of its kind in Cebu Province, the donation marks the establishment of a new museum row in Dumanjug.
Though unveiled as the newest heritage museums last Friday, the site is yet to open to the public, and will only be done once it becomes operational following further discussions between the Capitol and municipal officials.
Several members of the Garcia family attended the ceremonial ribbon-cutting, including Governor Gwen’s brothers, Cebu third district representative PJ Garcia and Byron Garcia, along with third-generation descendants Carissa Garcia, Ai Ai Garcia, and Barili Mayor John-John Garcia.
Also in attendance were seventh district Congressman Peter John Calderon, Vice Mayor Wado Gica, and members of Dumanjug municipal council. — (FREEMAN)