By Lilian Mellejor/PNA
DAVAO CITY — The local government and the Association of Regional Executives of National Agencies (ARENA) 11 (Davao region) agreed on Thursday to establish a regional government center within the 94.7-hectare site in Bago Oshiro here.
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Assistant Secretary Anthony Sales, newly-installed president of ARENA-11, said the proposed regional center will house 55 government agencies and local government offices.
Funding requirements, Sales said, will be determined once all agencies submit proposals for land development and building construction.
“We will make the master plan for all the developments of the site,” he said, adding the relocation of the 200 informal settlers will also be considered.
Of the total land area, ARENA-11 said it would use 61.7 hectares for the national government and city government offices, 5 hectares for parks and recreation center, 18 hectares for other government sites and services, and 10 hectares for the relocation site of the affected families.
Initially, Sales said the Department of Public Works and Highways 11 has committed PHP24 million for site fencing. The Department of Agriculture 11 has also initially submitted a funding requirement of PHP70 million; PHP50 million from the Office of Civil Defense; PHP110 million from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); and PHP70 million from DOST.
The development of the site will start as soon as President Rodrigo Duterte signs the proclamation for the establishment of the government center, Sales said.
NEDA-11 Director Ma. Lourdes Lim said ARENA hopes the funding would “be approved by 2020.”
Sales said that one of the features of the government center is a fiber-optic communication system that would provide access to all locators and neighboring establishments around the government center.
He underscored the need for the establishment of the regional government center to improve various public services that serve domestic and international requirements.
He said the facility would result in administrative efficiency, government savings, and decongestion of the city center.
