The century-old Leyte provincial capitol in Tacloban City . (File photo)
TACLOBAN CITY -- The Leyte provincial government will develop a 14-hectare property into a new government center in Palo, Leyte town as they relocate the seat of the local government outside the highly urbanized city.
Development of the new property along the new Palo West Bypass Road will be realized through a multi-year plan and funded by earnings from time deposits in government financial institutions and loans from state-run banks.
Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said on Wednesday the provincial engineer’s office has yet to come up with the funding required to fully develop the property acquired by the provincial government from private landowners. The new center is located some 13 kilometers away from Tacloban.
“We’re not transferring our provincial offices to the regional government center since we are setting up a provincial government center in Palo town. We are still in the process of completing the master plan,” Petilla told reporters during the 121st Independence Day celebration here.
The local government pushed for the plan to relocate the provincial government offices after the century-old capitol building was abandoned last month due to cracks sustained after the magnitude 6.5 earthquake last April 23.
The governor said the building has been damaged by the Japanese bombardment during World War II, storm surges when super typhoon Yolanda struck in 2013, and several ground shakings.
The province will coordinate with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on how to develop the old capitol building into a museum.
The capitol building located on Senator Enage Street was constructed in 1917 during the administration of then-governor Salvador Demetrio. It was completed and inaugurated in 1924 during the term of Governor Honorio Lopez.
The building was the seat of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines (Oct. 23, 1944 to Feb. 27, 1945) when then-president Sergio Osmeña came into power in 1944 with the World War II Liberation Forces.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur had sworn Osmeña into office in the same building.
In 1964, the original edifice was renovated, expanded and improved 40 years after upon assumption to office of then-governor Norberto Romualdez Jr., brother of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez-Marcos. (PNA)
