Stop P1.5B project

A consumers group called for the Cebu provincial government to stop the P1.5 billion Resource Building Project and instead prioritize poverty alleviation programs at the grassroots level.

United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC)- Province of Cebu Chapter chairman Carmelito Canoy emphasized that the project is not what is needed right now by the Cebuanos and the project does not reflect what the majority needs.

National Chapter President RJ Javellana said that there should have been a “democratic consultation” before the project took off. The group said that it only learned about the project after the signing of the loan agreement last week.

“Kung tatanungin niyo yung mga residente sa municipalities and cities, alam ba nila na may gagawing P1.5 billion na project?,” said Javellana.

He called the public consultation held by the provincial government last month “an icing on the cake” as it was held a few weeks before the signing of the terms of the agreement between the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Capitol.

The group also described that constructing a 20-story building on the side of the iconic Capitol Executive Building is like a “sore thumb” when viewed from afar.

“The planned building will stick out like a sore thumb and will forever distort the balance and symmetry that has attended the venerable Old Capitol Building, which was given a National Historical Landmark designation in 2008,” UFCC stated in its press release.

Next week, the Capitol building will celebrate its 80th inaugural anniversary.

“It will forever mar the vista or viewpoint of the Capitol building which was constructed in 1937 and inaugurated by Pres. Manuel Quezon on June 14, 1938,” UFCC continued.

In earlier interviews, Gov. Hilario Davide III said that the view of the Capitol building will not be altered from the usual vantage points such as the Fuente Osmeña Circle or the Capitol grounds.

The project site for the proposed modern building is the lot where the dilapidated Bureau of Agriculture Extension building stands. It is located at the right side when someone is facing the Capitol building.

UFCC further expressed that they do not support the suggestion to find another area for the project or for the alteration of the building design to fit the requirements of the National Historical Commission.

Instead, they want the project to be scrapped.

Canoy said that they are planning to send a letter to Davide next week to appeal to him to stop the project, which cost is equivalent to one-third of the P4.5 billion provincial budget for 2018.

If the Capitol will push through with its plans, UFCC intends to make a provincial-wide signature campaign to stop it.

If the move will not work, the group said it will avail of legal remedies to stop an act of what it calls an “administrative imposition.”