City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña has asked the contractor of the Baguio Convention Center rehabilitation project to speed-up completion of development to accommodate the scheduled activities and events in the facility.
Dela Peña said several functions are scheduled at the BCC on April so he asked the contractor to finish the project by the end of February. Beginning March 9, conventions are scheduled at the BCC, hence the request to fast-track its completion.
The building’s interior has been done months earlier but Mayor Benjamin Magalong has yet to accept the project citing the contractor’s failure to follow the design prepared by the technical working group created by former mayor Mauricio Domogan. The mayor also said the project is “substandard.”
The rehabilitated BCC now has a 1,298 seating capacity compared to the 738 when it was not yet repaired.
A report by the Department of Public Works and Highways shows the BCC now has a new audio-visual system, acoustically-designed wall panels, an air conditioning system, fire sprinkler system, sewer treatment facility, closed circuit TV, and a generator system.
There are also new spaces such as the basement exhibit area, office areas and exterior coffee/food shops.
The drainages leading to a leaking cistern causing seepage on the convention floor has been realigned to the exterior of the building and will no longer cause flooding.
Following the initial release of P180 million in 2018, another P50M to cover phase 2 of the rehabilitation was released in 2019 for the improvement of the grounds of the BCC. This includes the construction of a grand front canopy, an exterior elevator, landscaping, perimeter fencing with a guardhouse and an exterior CCTV.
As of Jan. 31, phase 2 has an actual accomplishment of 66.77 percent as against the target accomplishment of 65.30 percent.
The rehabilitation of the BCC started in March 2018. – Rimaliza A. Opiña
July 27, 2024
