By Lizbeth Ann Abella/Philippine News Agency
TACLOBAN CITY — The historic Leyte provincial capitol will undergo a major facelift after it was slightly damaged by a recent strong earthquake.
Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto said offices housed at the provincial capitol main building have been transferred to nearby structures as a safety measure and to pave the way for the major repair works.
“We will talk with officials of the National Historical Commission (NHC) as to the repair of the capitol since the building is a significant part in the Philippine history,” Loreto said on Monday.
Based on initial talks, the capitol will be turned into a main museum of the province. Mini museums will be created in some parts of Leyte.
The local government has yet to come up with budget requirements based on designs recommended by the NHC.
Loreto expressed optimism that the central government will help finance the project.
“This is part of making the province disaster resilient. In case, calamities struck in some parts of the province, data and information are still intact since museums are interconnected,” Loreto added.
The building has sustained cracks after the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that shook Leyte and Samar on April 27.
The provincial capitol was the seat of the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines (Oct. 23, 1944 to Feb. 27, 1945) when President Sergio Osmeña came into power in 1944 with the World War II Liberation Forces.
He was sworn into office by General Douglas McArthur inside the building in the “presence of Cabinet men, liberation forces and many other grateful people.”
Construction of the neoclassical building of Leyte Provincial Capitol started in 1917 during the administration of Governor Salvador Demetrio. Governor Norberto Romualdez Jr. renovated the original edifice and expanded it when he assumed the post in 1964.
Aside from the capitol building, the provincial government will also repair the legislative building behind the main structure.
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