The multi-million pesos restoration and conversion of the Old Presidencia (city hall) of Dumaguete City, the provincial capital of Negros Oriental, is set to commence following the groundbreaking ceremony held Wednesday afternoon.
The project is being undertaken by the National Museum of the Philippines, headed by Director Jeremy Barns, with almost PHP 50 million in funds.
Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo and Director Barns had signed sometime in July last year a deed of usufruct for the restoration of the Old Presidencia and its conversion into a museum.
During the groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon at the city hall quadrangle, the master plan for the project was inserted into a time capsule, which was lowered in a hole dug in front of the city hall to signal the start of the project.
Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, National Museum officials, and Dumaguete councilors joined Mayor Remollo and Director Barns in the lowering of the time capsule.
The Old Presidencia, which comprises a small portion of the existing city hall, was the seat of government of Dumaguete City during the Spanish times and was built in 1937.
The offices of the city treasurer, city accountant, and budget will have to be transferred to another location during the project duration, said Mayor Remollo during a brief program during the groundbreaking.
Mayor Remollo disclosed that the budget allocation for the said project has some excess, thus this shall be used to landscape the entire city hall grounds.
He announced that there will be similar projects in the future as he hopes to make Dumaguete City a “heritage tourism” destination.
The project duration is 210 calendar days, with 401 Development and Construction Corporation having been awarded the contract.
The target date of completion is July 8, 2018.
This is the first time for the National Museum of the Philippines to fund a project in Dumaguete City, although it has worked on the St. Augustine of Hippo Parish in nearby Bacong town, which was declared as a National Cultural Treasure.
Barns said he first came to Dumaguete in May 2016 after Mayor Remollo, who was elected mayor that year, asked if it was possible to undertake a heritage project in this capital.
During a site visit at the city hall, he said he was amazed at the blend of varied influences of olden times.
“We at the National Museum are really committed to bring back the glory, the importance, and the heritage of this structure,” added Barns. (Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)
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