Nine years ago, when the now graduating city mayor took over as chief executive of the local government, Iloilo City has still a City Hall building. It may be old but still useful to the displaced city employees now holding office at the big mall.

In desire to have a presentable edifice as seat of local government, the City Council (SP) passed a resolution for the construction of a City Hall. It approved and authorized the mayor to apply for a total loan of P455 million to bankroll the project.

A year after, however, the city mayor ordered the demolition of the old city hall building on the promise to start the construction of a new one. On what misfortune, the city’s chief executive failed to make good his promise.

Having no place to transfer, members of the SP were forced to occupy the second floor of the Iloilo Terminal Market building. Other departments of the city government including their employees are now holding office at the third floor of a big city mall.

The mayor even hired the services of an architect to draw the plan of the proposed City Hall building. But the intriguing problem is the cost of that drawing they have not even seen yet. It costs P12M pesos!

For that, we ended badly disillusioned. We need a nice building to represent as seat of our local government but instead of a City Hall – we got a City Mall. I’m sure city councilors Perla Zulueta, Antonio Pesina, Eldrid Antiquiera and Tongtong Plagata subscribe to this.

Reports had it that by December this year, the bidding will be called for the construction of the proposed City Hall building. As such, the city mayor can look back proudly to the SP members for the feat.

But this creates an impression without affirming the perception that this bidding for the construction of a new City Hall building is not to make good his promise but to promote his personal ambition to run for Congress.

Why call for another shot to effect a desire already done by the SP long time ago? No wonder why it neither stopped deterrent subplots from coming in nor getting out of office because of his over-studying of decided things.

It is difficult for the mayor to get the support of his constituents, former supporters and followers and the observant public especially the business sector until things regarding the City Hall are sorted out.

The mayor has been mustering his camp must gird for war. Thus far, shows he is a man – hinting grim possibilities of a peace talk with former benefactors. But his failure to put up even a City Hall post despite the ready allocation and architectural design for over six years is an unseen blunder for his ambition.

Poor municipalities in Iloilo Province have own town halls where local official can be easily reached by their constituents. But Iloilo City, a highly urbanized city under the stewardship of a studying mayor is still to have a City Hall.

Not only that. The contemptuous presence of undesirable underlings at the City Mall (not City Hall) reinforced the widespread public belief this is the most despised administration Iloilo City ever had.

Worse, the salaries of City Mall ehe, este city government (as no City Hall yet) casual employees were reported to have been deducted by at least P600 every month for alleged clearance and garbage fees. Sus Gino-o, the casuals are endangered to become their last casualty!

It took decades for the previous City Hall thieves to amass the same amount of loot the present clique of crooks have plundered in less than nine years. Lowly city government employees are most sorely tempted to steal but don’t, what a shame!

They should know that it is only for them and their considered boss that what they did was good. The tragedy is, because of these crooks, poor Iloilo City is now badly beaten by its looks!

What really matters in this story is the demolition of that old but still useful City Hall building at Plaza Libertad. Now city employees are like evicted and relocated squatters by ICUPAO, another syndicate we have to deal with. Well, may that previous City Hall of the people rest in peace. True, remembering what was lost makes it precious!

Leave a Reply