LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN – Gov. Ramon V. Guico III led provincial officials here Thursday in the groundbreaking ceremony to start construction of two iconic projects- within the Capitol Complex.
Gov Guico, Vice Governor Mark Lambino, some members of the provincial board, and department heads officially now look forward to the start of construction of the 1,500-seater Convention Center and the 11-storey Government Center and Tower.
“We have to give credit to the people who also played a big role in making all of these happen. To our department heads and employees of our Provincial Capitol, thank you very much,” he said with FADZ Construction, Inc. President and CEO Nathaniel Mariano as witness.
The two projects are part of the Capitol Redevelopment Project, a legacy project of the Guico administration aimed to spur economic and tourism development in Pangasinan.
With the battle cry ‘Pangasinan, Ang Galing!, Guico added: ‘We are laying the foundation and planting the seeds for the near future and for the far future. So, I think this administration will make it smart as the builder of the excellent and new Pangasinan. That’s what we want to happen.”
“When Team FADZ designed this building (Government Center/Tower), we started with the conventional foundation. Then, as we progressed, when we conducted soil testing and soil analysis, we realized that we need to change the design…the so-called spread footing or mat footing. But the structural engineers said they consulted a lot because we have to ensure the integrity and the safety of the structure,” said Gov. Guico, who wants to see Pangasinan “starting from Lingayen, the Singapore of the North.”
The provincial government in 2023 entered into a P6 billion Omnibus term loan from the Land Bank Philippines to fund priority development projects.
Of said amount, PhP4.3 billion was earmarked for projects within the Capitol grounds.
Some PhP1.8 billion of which is earmarked for the construction of the government center that will house provincial government and national government agencies offices.
Another PhP500 million has been allocated for additional improvements at the Provincial Capitol Complex. The province will also establish a PhP500 million corporate center to house businesses and commercial spaces aimed to stimulate local economic activity.
Gov. Guico said that PhP758 million will be utilized for health projects and other big-ticket undertakings for the province. The remaining PhP700 million will be used for land acquisition and construction of other support facilities.
With the redevelopment of the Capitol Complex, the governor assured that the historic Capitol building will remain untouched and will remain as Pangasinan’s main heritage site. (Ruby F. Rayat/Photo by Gian Carlo Milanes/PIMRO)
