By Dominic dela Cruz
LAOAG CITY—Considering that this city as the new “Gateway to the North” and as it is booming and progressing, the new Laoag mayor is proposing to construct a new government center to be situated at Brgy. 1, San Lorenzo this city.
Laoag Mayor James Bryan Q. Alcid said that it has been “observed and learned” that the Laoag City Hall is “too old and needs more space for offices”.
“Ta daytoy ngamin city hall tayon appo ket daanen. Saan tayon a mabalin urnosenen wennu ma-reconstruct kasi kasla heritage ta ngamin bricks isuna ket iti kaasitgan a mabalin a pakaipatakderan iti government center ket idiay Baryo Uno,” Alcid noted.
But the mayor clarified that all of these are still plans and proposals with nothing final yet.
“Nakaad-adu ngamin iti madawat tayo a tulong iti national government with regards to infrastructure kas kuma buildings, government center, baro a city hall ket awan met mabalin a pakaikabilan,” he added.
He stressed that “this is the best time to start these proposed projects now that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is still the President and he is very much willing to help the city of Laoag in terms of projects that benefits the people of Laoag”.
If the proposed government center pushes through, the Laoag City Cockpit Arena and the “Discolandia”, which is the city’s “entertainment hub” is now considered “very crucial” due to its present location.
The neophyte mayor said that the existing ordinance clearly states that the entertainment hub must be located in an agricultural area but as time passed by, said entertainment hub had been surrounded by residential houses and schools and it now violates the said ordinance.
“Ket no maikkat daytoy entertainment hub idiay, masapul a mai relocate laeng, saan a total closure suruten tay laeng tay ordinasa a masapul a situated in an agricultural area,” he explained.
In case the city hall will be transferred at the new government center, the mayor said that the present city hall will be converted into a museum.
“Ta ngamin awan pay museum tayo if the idea will push through ngem no saan appo ket we will stay here for the rest of our lives ngem sayang la ngamin nukwa dagidiay maited a naduma-duma tulong nga ited iti national government, appo.” he added.
It was learned that the city hall building was constructed a long time ago with bricks and records show that “agcra-crack pay dagiti dadduman ket adda tayon iti modernized structure ket naamwan nga awan landok na dagitoy bricks ket we can never tell ta iti nature ket
very unpredictable isu a narigat,” the mayor said.
