Treñas could have continued previous plan for City Hall--Ex-mayor
Former City Mayor Mansueto Malabor finally broke his silence as to where the P20 million fund coming from Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago intended as initial money for the construction of the new Iloilo City Hall building in Brgy. San Pedro, Molo went.
Malabor told a radio interview over the weekend that the fund was channeled to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In jest, the former mayor even challenged those who are curious enough to ask Santiago's husband Jun, who was Interior and Local Government Secretary that time, about the money.
Malabor said, from the start he did not want the money to be channeled to the coffers of the city government. He added that portions of the money was spent in the pile driving at the supposed City Hall site in San Pedro, Molo now used as Antique bus terminal.
Malabor, who once aspired to become a congressman of the city, even questioned the administration of Mayor Jerry Treñas for his failure to push through with the construction of the new city hall building at the Molo site.
"The lot is owned by the city government and the city can expand and construct projects without paying any rent. I wonder why Treñas did not push through the project since he promised to continue it when he ran as mayor," said Malabor.
The issue on where the P20 million Santiago fund went came up after Treñas presented his plan to construct a new city hall building in its present site in Plaza Libertad.
Treñas said majority of city officials wanted the city hall building to stay in its present site.
There is already a design for the building and the city's P350 million loan application was already approved by the Land Bank of the Philippines. The design was made by the Coscolluela Associates, the same group that designed the new Iloilo Provincial Capitol building.