Capitol donates lot for DOJ building

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Board has authorized Cebu Governor HilarioDavide III to donate a 3,000-square meter lot located in Cebu City for the construction of the new building of the Department of Justice.

The authorization was made through a resolution passed by the board during its regular session yesterday.

Board Member Grecilda Sanchez, who sponsored the resolution, noted that there was already a negotiation between the province and the Department of Justice for the lot donation.

She said the authorization would pave the way for the execution of the deed of donation for the lot, which is located along M. Velez Street.

The subject lot was the one occupied by the building of the Department of Agriculture-7 but is already idle since DA-7 has already transferred to Mandaue City.

It was the former Justice secretary and now Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa who requested for the lot donation from the Capitol.

During an initial talk, Davide asked the Justice department to let the Capitol utilize the Marcelo B. Fernan Hall of Justice located at the Capitol compound.

The four-story courthouse was declared unsafe after suffering massive damage from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that jolted Cebu and Bohol in 2013.

All Cebu City courts are now holding transactions at Qimonda IT Center at the North Reclamation Area upon the order of Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.

But the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office continues to occupy the ground floor of the building despite the recommendation to abandon it.

Capitol is considering retrofitting the building or constructing a new one once the structure is turned over to the provincial government.

Once the 3,000-square meter lot is formally turned over to the DOJ, Sanchez said a new DOJ building will be constructed on the property, which will house the prosecutor’s offices, the Public Attorney’s Office, among others. (FREEMAN)