Keep the old sports complex or build a new municipal hall?
Hundreds of residents of Consolacion town rallied yesterday morning in front of the sports complex seeking to stop plans to demolish the building whose site is planned for a a six-storey government center.
The protestors included former Consolacion mayor Avelino Gungob, his daughter Councilor Analee Gungob and former 6th district representative Nerissa Soon-Ruiz.
Former mayor Gungob said the Consolacion Sports Complex should not be torrn down and urged Mayor Theresa Alegado to instead develop it for sports and other activities to keep youths away from drug use.
Gungob, who is running against Alegado for the mayorship in May 13, said the government spent almost P10 million for the complex built during his term.
“This building is still useful and should be developed for the youths and the people,” he said in Cebuano.
He said another lot in barangay Laray would be a good site for a new government center because the 2,000-square meter space of the sports complex was too small.
Mayor Alegado said building a new government center was an urgent need because the town is growing fast.
She said Consolacion has other propertryies like the lot in barangay Laray, but was still occupied by informal settlers.
Meanwhile, Councilor Gungob said the mayor should have developed the town’s property in sitio Laray, barangay Nangka which her father started to develop as government center in 2009.
She said the town started drilling for soil testing the center of the basketball court last Thursday.
Soon-Ruiz who is contesting the 6th district congressional seat against incumbent Rep. Luigi Quisumbing of the Liberal Party said that if the sports complex is demolished the Poblacion Oriental barangay hall will be affected along with the Poblacion Day Care Center.
She said using the area, which is across the San Narciso Parish Church in the Cebu North Road, for a government center would just worsen the traffic in the national road. /Jucell Marie P. Cuyos, Reporter with Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza