‘Green’ legislative building to rise in Bacolod City

BACOLOD CITY — A green legislative building will rise here to enhance the delivery of essential services and pump prime the local economy.

Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and other city officials on Dec. 4, led the groundbreaking rites to signal the start of the construction of a P515 million green legislative building that is targeted to be completed by 2025.

“It is one of the numerous city government infrastructure projects, whose construction is expected to create hundreds of jobs and pump the local economy,” Benitez said.

They will be funded by the P4.4 billion city government loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines.

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The four-story legislative building behind the Bacolod City Government Center is being built by Legacy Construction Corp. and the M.K.U. Construction and Supply, and is targeted for completion in 18 months.

Benitez said he asked the contractors to try to finish the legislative building before the May 2025 polls.

The building will house the Vice Mayor’s Office and the City Council, the Department of Social Services and Development, Office of the Building Official, Bacolod Housing Authority and City Engineer’s Office (CEO).

It will also have a conference room on the roof deck.

There are also extra offices to accommodate the number of councilors for two congressional districts of Bacolod, should Congress approve the creation of a second district for the city and it is signed into law, Benitez said.

Loben Rafael Ceballos, acting chief executive officer, said the building has a green design for sustainability, with provisions for solar panels and rainwater collection.

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City government projects covered by the P4.4 billion loan to start next year are mini hospitals for five barangays, rehabilitation of the old City Hall, construction of the new Burgos Public Market, and improvements of various roads.

Also included are the improvement of various drainages, asphalt overlay of various roads, construction of Bacolod warehouse, construction of City Engineering Motorpool Area, improvement of Tree Park at Barangay Alangilan, construction of Pedestrian Mall, improvement of City Health Office Complex, recovery and recycling of a Complex and Eco Park, installation of Solar Power Generating System of various barangays and Bacolod City Government Center, and construction of traffic signalization./###