Capitol grants DILG right to use Sudlon office space

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has granted the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Cebu Provincial Office the right to use office space in Sudlon, Lahug, Cebu City.

Baricuatro announced the arrangement during the turnover of 45 emergency response motorcycles from the DILG on Thursday, October 15.

Baricuatro said the provision of office space was part of the provincial government’s partnership with the DILG, which extends beyond public safety initiatives.

“Our partnership with the DILG also goes beyond public safety. As a concrete expression of our support, the Province has granted the DILG the right to use office space in Sudlon, Lahug,” Baricuatro said.

“We want the DILG to have a proper home from which to support our local governments and better serve our people,” she added.

The arrangement comes as the Capitol seeks to reclaim the Cebu Provincial Legislative Building for the exclusive use of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), which currently shares the structure with national government agencies.

The DILG Cebu Provincial Office is among the agencies occupying space in the Legislative Building within the Capitol compound.

In a previous interview, Vice Governor Glenn Anthony Soco said plans to fully dedicate the building to the 17th SP could face delays because the national government offices housed there still need to be properly relocated.

Soco said the provincial government, in coordination with Baricuatro, had set the direction to transfer the national agencies to other locations to allow the Provincial Board to use the building for its intended legislative functions.

According to Soco, the structure was originally designed solely for legislative purposes but eventually accommodated national government offices as additional workspace was needed.

Capitol officials had earlier identified possible relocation sites in Sudlon and Lahug, as well as other areas within the Capitol compound, including designated parking spaces. However, no final decision on the relocation sites had been announced at the time of the previous report.

The need for additional office space has also grown with the addition of two new board members representing the Lone District of Mandaue City, increasing the demand for offices and meeting rooms.

Soco had acknowledged that the existing arrangement was no longer sufficient to accommodate the expanded composition of the Provincial Board and its legislative functions. (CEBU NEWS)