Dumaguete City Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria has promised the Dumaguete Press Radio and TV Club, including members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas (KBP) local chapter during a get together Monday evening that he will look for funds to develop the press club building rather than look for a third party to develop the same for a meager monthly rental of P45,000.
Sagarbarria was guest during the opening day activities of the Press Freedom week celebration under a new set of officers headed by the news supervisor of Skycable in Dumaguete, Juancho Gallarde, and the KBP headed by Sherlyn Abella of DYRM.
The mayor said the city government has the resources to put in some money for the development of the press club building and to make an honest to goodness press club which means that the facility will be provided with the needed equipment and materials for it to function as a press club and for use by its members.
Sagarbarria is considering the possibility of entering into a memorandum of agreement with the press club itself for it to run the facility instead of allowing a third party to make use of it.
This was precipitated by a decision of the city council to hold in abeyance the proposed project which was offered by a British investor who wanted to develop the area as a resto-bar due to what is referred to as a question of ownership particularly the reclaimed area.
Mayor Sagarbarria said “we owned the building and they say we don’t own the land, sometimes it doesn’t make sense. But I do believe this belongs to the city government and the people of this city.”
He called on members of the media to conceptualize a project that will really make the Dumaguete Press Club different from all the other press clubs in the country and develop the same for tourism, especially now that the city is known as the 5th best retirement places in the world, which would follow that many are planning to retire here for good.
The mayor mentioned P2 to P3 million as a start for the development of the press club while it is working on a proposed budget of P650 million for next year, subject to the perusal and approval of the city council. Last year’s budget was P429 million.
With the proposed budget, the mayor sees a spare for projects and programs the press club building development of which will be included. (PNA)
