Rama eyes museum, tourist site

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama does not only plan to convert the Malacañang sa Sugbu building into a museum.

He also wants to have the land titled under the Cebu City government to ensure ownership.

“The Malacañang sa Sugbu will play a vital role in a heritage area that we are planning,” he said.

His plan includes making the post-war building by the harbor the entry point of the city’s heritage and tourism zone.

The former Customs house is located near Fort San Pedro, the Plaza Independencia, the ruins of the Compania Maritima building, and a proposed park.

The status of the Malacañang sa Sugbo bears watching as President Benigno Aquino III expressed no interest in using it as an alternate official residence, the way former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did when she took over the building from the Bureau of Customs and had it renovated.

Mayor Rama included a P10-million outlay in the proposed Supplemental Budget no. 2 for a senior citizens park, which he wants to set up beside the Compania Maritima.

Rama still has to discuss this plan with various stakeholders including the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC), the Parks and Playgrounds Commission, the city tourism office and Undersecretary Odette Ong of the Presidential Management Staff.

Rama said the city government also has to identify a foundation that would help the city run the Malacañang sa Sugbu and its museum.

He said he was considering tapping the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. as a partner.

The Bureau of Customs also wanted to recover the property, which used to be their Cebu district office. But Rama said the bureau was amenable to the idea of converting the place into something of historical value. The mayor has to present a development plan before any turnover is made.