ILOILO City – The overpass on Bonifacio Drive in front of the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 6 will be demolished after the 117th Semana sang Iloilo celebration, according to Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr.
The Semana sang Iloilo kicks off today and wraps up on April 13.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod of Iloilo City approved the demolition in April last year yet. Defensor sought the demolition. The provincial government is redeveloping its property near the overpass.
It was only last week, however, that the City Engineer’s Office issued a demolition permit.
According to Provincial Legal Officer Dennis Ventilacion, the demolition may take a week. The contractor is Pabcon Builders and Construction Supply.
Demolition debris would be turned over to the city government which constructed the P2-million overpass in the 1990s.
The provincial government allotted a budget of P100,000 for the demolition – a fourth of its P400-million allocation for the capitol complex redevelopment.
The overpass was meant for the safety of people crossing the busy Bonifacio Drive to transact with offices in the area such as the Iloilo Hall of Justice, Metro Iloilo Water District, the Philippine Red Cross, Department of Tourism (DOT), Radyo ng Bayan, Iloilo provincial capitol, Museo Iloilo, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, among others.
People, however, found climbing the overpass impractical just to get to the other side of the street.
In November 2016, renowned architect Paulo Alcazaren and Tourism regional director Helen Catalbas discussed with Defensor the plan to establish a “local government center” in the area.
“The area must have its own activities,” said Defensor. He wanted the project completed before his term ends in 2019.
According to the governor, they thought of building a plaza/park at the front yard of the soon-to-be completed regional museum (formerly the old provincial jail) and a multilevel parking space at the back.
Buildings housing Radyo ng Bayan and the nearby DOT regional office may be demolished. The state-owned radio station may be transferred to the nearby Philippine Red Cross building while the Red Cross may be relocated to the Iloilo National High School compound in La Paz district where it can erect a new building, he said in 2016.
On the other hand, the DOT regional office may be moved to the adjacent Museo Iloilo, which may also serve as a tourist information center and possibly a souvenir center as well./PN
