GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 23 Oct) – The Department of Agriculture (DA) in Region 12 is pushing for the completion by the second quarter of 2015 its P75-million new regional complex in Koronadal City.
The construction of the three-story modern facility is currently ongoing at the Prime Regional Center (PRC) site in Barangay Carpenter Hill in Koronadal City, which is the regional seat and center of Region 12.
Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala personally graced the project’s formal ground blessing and inspected the construction works in a visit to the area on Wednesday.
“We really pushed for the construction of this new regional facility to further improve our services here in Region 12,” he said.
Amalia Jayag-Datukan, DA Region 12 executive director, said the project’s construction started last August 11 and is due for completion in April next year.
She said the building’s development works, which was awarded to Cotabato City-based firm FFFJ Construction, was set for 240 days or eight months.
“We’re targeting to fully transfer to our new offices by April or May next year,” Datukan said.
A briefer said the project’s funding was approved by the DA central office under the DA-12’s budget in 2013.
It said the procurement and other related processes involved in the project were in accordance to the provisions of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act as undertaken by the bids and awards committee of the DA central office.
Koronadal City was designated as Region 12’s regional center by virtue of Executive Order (EO) 304 issued in March 2004 by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
EO 304 also sets the immediate transfer of all regional line agencies, departments and offices from Cotabato City, the previous regional center, to Koronadal City.
DA-12, along with its attached agencies, immediately transferred to the area but opted to lease office buildings and spaces within the city proper due to the huge financial requirements of building a permanent office structure.
The city government of Koronadal acquired the PRC site several years ago to hasten the transfer of various regional line agencies to the area.
Seven agencies have so far established their offices at the PRC, the local government’s records showed.
These are the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and the Bureau of the Treasury.
Aside from DA, the Department of Labor and Employment, Commission on Audit and the National Economic and Development Authority are currently building their regional offices at the site.