Building boom takes over Tacloban gloom

AFTER Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” Tacloban is going through a construction boom of sorts with new commercial structures being built around the city. JOEY GABIETA/INQUIRER VISAYAS

TACLOBAN CITY—A construction boom is slowly replacing the city’s gloom over the destruction left by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

A city official said this was a clear sign of investor confidence and the city’s level of competitiveness which is starting to recover following Yolanda, the strongest storm to make landfall in history.

Last year, at least 113 commercial buildings were built here, generating income of at least P7 million.

From January to April this year, at least 57 construction projects had been started, generating at least P1 million in fees for building permits.

Engineer Roberto Gabriana of the city engineering office said the construction projects only show that investors, including those outside the city, continue to believe in Tacloban’s competitiveness.

“After all, Tacloban remains to be the regional capital of Eastern Visayas,” he said.

He said city officials expect more construction projects this year and in the coming years.

Gabriana said construction projects not only generate income for the city, but also generate employment for city residents and also for job seekers from elsewhere in the region.

He said representatives of some of the country’s biggest mall operators visited his office inquiring about the process of securing permits for construction projects.

Gabriana, however, refused to disclose details on the inquiries, saying he is not authorized to talk about them.

In an earlier interview, businessman Jack Uy, president of the Tacloban Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that after Tacloban was hit by Yolanda, businessmen slowly returned to the city.

With a population of more than 200,000, Tacloban remains to be attractive to businesses, Uy said.