SAN JOSE De BUENAVISTA, Antique — The members of the Antique Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) felt nostalgic as they held their last regular session at the old capitol on Thursday before they will vacate the building for its much needed renovation and retrofitting.
The old capitol has been allocated by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with PHP50 million this year for a much needed refurbishment.
“We better have our picture taking here because today is historical being our last to hold the SP session,” Vice Governor Edgar Denosta urged the members of the SP before they adjourned.
Denosta added that starting February 8 the SP will hold their session in their rented space at RMU3 Building here in San Jose de Buenavista where they will stay for almost a year so that they could still continue on dispatching their functions.
However, after the engineering work is all done, the SP members will not return to the refurbished session hall as a new PHP50 million three-story legislative building will also be constructed for them by the DPWH.
The old capitol after its renovation and retrofitting will be converted into a museum where the important historical pieces of Antique, including pictures and bullet ridden clothes of the slain local hero former Governor Evelio B. Javier will be on display.
Last week, Vice Governor Denosta has also sent out letter to the stall owners on the lot where the legislative building will be constructed to vacate the area because the contractor is going to start moving in the needed heavy equipment.
The capitol, based on the inscription on its wall, was “rebuilt with the aid of the People of the United States of America under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1946.” (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA)
