CALAMBA CITY, Laguna Dec. 3 (PNA) – The CALABARZON Regional Government Center (CRGC), located within a three-hectare compound of office spaces in Barangay Mapagong here, officially opened wednasday for occupancy.
The opening was highlighted by the inauguration of Building I, a five storey building with basement parking, with Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Manuel Roxas II as guest of honor.
In his speech as said the Government Regional Center in CALABARZON is the showcase on people empowerment.
“Well, we can talk about Statistics, we can talk about Investments grade status. All these are measures of success. But the best measure of success that we can point to… is to go to the Government Regional Center. That is the picture of the Philippines,” Secretary Roxas said.
The CALABARZON Regional Government Center is the Philippines first ever one stop-shop government center that will house at least 54 government agencies in the CALABARZON region with an estimated project cost of Php 2.545 billion in the joint-venture partnership with Malaysia’s AlloyMTD Group through its subsidiary MTD Philippines, Inc. and the local government of Calamba City.
CALABARZON Regional Government Center formally opens with DILG as first occupant
And today, we are very proud, what we see a beautiful building here is the fulfillment of that dream that we talked about some time ago.” Said Dato Dr. Azmil Khalid, CEO and Group President of AlloyMTD Group and also the head of Malaysian-Philippines Business Council.
Calamba City mayor Justin Marc Chipeco responded by relating to the challenges they had encountered to the process of private public partnership (PPP) agreement at the same time commended the support of the legislative council and former city mayor now the representative of the 2nd District of Laguna, Joaquin M. Chipeco Jr. who conceptualize and started the subject .
Mayor Chipeco hopes the Government center will be replicated in the other regions of the country.
“I hope that this will be the seed, the seed that will be planted all over the country and will eventually grow,” he said.
Besides its strategic location, the relocation of government regional offices to the government center in Calamba City was based on Presidential Executive Order No. 246 declaring Calamba City as the regional center for CALABARZON.
Moreover the local government Code encourages province, cities and municipalities to “endevour to establish government centers where offices and branches of the national governments may be located”.
The first to respond to the order was the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Region 4-A headed by Josefina Castilla-Go. Their office will supply 1,183.5 square meters of floor area at the third floor of Building I.
“When I first reported here as regional director of DILG CALABARZON in 2008, this idea was still in the drawing board. Today, a dream has finally turned into a reality. And we thank the efforts, the persistence, and the commitment of our congressman Jun Chipeco who was then the city mayor of Calamba. And all the men who worked for the realization of this government center,” Go said in her speech.
The site of the CRGC was made possible through a donation of a three-hectare lot by Greenfield Development Corporation represented by Jeffrey Campus to the city government of Calamba during the incumbency of Mayor Joaquin M. Chipeco Jr. as city mayor.
AlloyMTD Philippines Inc. is responsible for the assign, financing and construction of the building including the operation and maintenance for 30 years. The CRGC consist of four blocks of five storey buildings under a Built Operate-Transfer agreement.
During the inauguration, a signing of amendment to the joint venture agreement was undertaken from pure rent option to include two additional options: a lease to own and outright purchase, as requested by regional government agencies.
Likewise, Secretary Roxas also led the groundbreaking ceremony for Building II, III and IV. Building I has a total floor area of 19,197 square meters while Building 2 has a total of 22,860 square meters, Building 3 has a total of 17,850 square meters and Building 4 has a total of 17,850 square meters for a total of 70, 732 square meters. Of the total floor area twenty percent are intended for private firms or Private Corporation. (PNA)