Capitol shells out P10 million for Dalaguete’s town hall

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government handed over a P10-million check to the municipality of Dalaguete for the rehabilitation of its antique town hall.

Dalaguete’s municipal hall, Casa Real, was built in 1832.

According to its heritage webpage, Casa Real was the seat of government of the town from the Spanish era until the present.

The original structure was an L-shaped with a symmetrical facade and clay tiles roofing while the wall are made of coral stones.  By the passing of time, the roof is replaced with galvanized iron sheets and the canopy is added at the main entrance area.

In 2013, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC) Engr. Donald Abraham Lara declared the building unfit for occupancy.

A year after, Lara said the rehabilitation of the building began. At present, the MPDC claims that the municipal government has spent around P600,000 for the restoration of Casa Real.

With the financial assistance from the Capitol, Lara said the municipal hall will be fit again for occupancy by September 2018.

A total of P13 million is needed for the full rehabilitation of the heritage site, he said.

"Kung kami-kami ra sa LGU, maabtan pa gyud og five more years (ang pag-rehabilitate sa building)," he told THE FREEMAN.

Lara explained that the LGU is not simply repairing the edifice, but restoring it using the same materials used in the 1800s.

The building has been declared as a heritage site and heritage laws must be observed.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said that the Capitol extended the aid to help restore Casa Real to its "original grandeur" as an important relic of the history of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Dalaguete and the provincial government led the inauguration of a covered court at Mantalongon Elementary School.

The project was jointly funded by the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), the local government unit and the Province.

PTA President John Moran expressed gratitude to everyone who helped realize the dream of having a covered court in the school which started over a decade ago. — GAN (FREEMAN)