DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 15 Dec) – The Lim family, who owns the homegrown New City Commercial Corporation (NCCC), is investing P4 billion to rebuild the four-story NCCC Mall Ma-a here after it was destroyed by fire four years ago.
Althea Lucas, vice president of the LTS Malls Inc., told a virtual press briefer on Wednesday that the construction of the mall will be financed partially by funds borrowed from banks and internal funds.
She said the new NCCC Mall Ma-a will sport a new look designed by Asya Design, taking inspiration from the “habitat and way of life” of the iconic national bird, the Philippine eagle.
The Asya is the same architecture firm tapped by the Lim family to design the NCCC Mall Buhangin.
Rodolfo Saturos, assistant vice president, said construction was delayed after the groundbreaking in January 2020 due to the pandemic. Construction resumed June this year.
He said that it will take three years to complete the construction. The company, he added, is expecting to open the mall by the fourth quarter of 2024.
The mall will have a total area of 28,223.24 square meters.
He said that the LTS Malls Inc. will procure the latest fire protection and suppression technology to ensure that the fire incident – which razed the old four-story mall to the ground and killed 38 people – on December 23, 2017 will be prevented.
She said the mall management has made sure that the structure will be compliant with the National Building Code and will keep fire trucks, including hydrants, within the mall complex.
“These are the additional features that the designer put into consideration for this mall,” he said.
Lucas added that the mall will provide an access road for vehicles “going to and from south” to mitigate the traffic in the area.
The ground floor will have supermarket and food shops; fashion and apparel stores on the second floor; “The Nook” and Entertainment Zone including cinemas, arcade, bowling on the third floor; and “The Nest” and Sky Gymnasium on the fourth floor, according to the press briefer.
It will also sport a business complex, four sports courts and multi-purpose halls for various events.
A total of 200 retail spaces for local and global brands will be put up, according to Suelita Longakit, the company’s leasing manager. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)