DAGUPAN CITY -- The Dagupan City Council, in a special session Friday, appropriated PHP106 million to kick off the construction of a new government center in the city.
This was gleaned from two ordinances approved by the council on motion of City Councilor Jeslito Seen, chairman of the Committee on Appropriations.
The first ordinance approved the supplemental annual investment program in the amount of more than PHP126 million and the second ordinance realigned the surplus/savings of the city from various expenses and projects in 2016 and re-appropriated this for various projects programmed up to the end of the year.
Appropriated were PHP60 million to cover the cost for the construction of the planned government center; PHP25 million to cover the cost for the procurement of Consulting Services for the preparation of detailed architectural and engineering design and plan for the proposed government center; and PHP21 million to cover the cost for the center’s road and site development.
Seen cited the importance of the funds in starting work on the new government center, to be located in Barangay Pantal, at the newly designated Pantal-Lucao growth center.
He said since the PHP106 allocated by the council is not sufficient to complete the new government center, it is likely that the city government will apply for a PHP500-million to PHP600-million loan next year with the Land Bank of the Philippines.
The new government center will be built on a 1.2-hectare land donated to the city by the brother of Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez.
The transfer of the present government center to the donated land was endorsed in an ordinance earlier passed by the city council with nine councilors voting ‘yes’, one abstaining, and one voting ‘no’.
The vote was done after the council conducted a series of barangay consultations.
Also funded is the construction of a concrete foot bridge in Sitio Watak, Barangay Mamalingling worth PHP1.2 million to finally link barangays Bonuan Gueset and Mamalingling. (PNA)
