CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A year after its groundbreaking, the Giant Lantern and Tourist Information Center at the former Paskuhan Village is set to open in May of this year, as its completion rate is now at 80 percent.
Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago announced this on Thursday in his speech at one of the Kaganapan events he attended, citing that, a few months from now, the center that will “showcase the rich giant lantern-making tradition” will be shared to all Fernandinos and Kapampangans.
“Katulad ng sinabi natin noong groundbreaking ceremony, ang proyektong ito ay hindi lamang gusali o impraspraktura. Ito ay representasyon ng ating mayamang kultura at tradisyon sa pagpaparol – na siya namang pinaka-rason kung bakit tayo ay may Paskuhan village,” he said.
City tourism officer Ching Pangilinan and city engineer Anele David recently conducted an inspection of the site where the building is undergoing construction. Works for tiles, glass windows, doors, and painting are now underway.
The building will house an exhibit space, museum, pasalubong shops, library and archives center, an office for the City’s tourism department, and a conference room.
Meanwhile, the amphitheater that is being constructed in front of the building also nears completion pending the delivery of the tencel fabric which will serve as the venue center’s roof.
The building’s design is patterned after the trademark designs of amphitheaters of SM Prime Holdings Corp., owner of Premier Central, Incorporated, the firm that donated the project to the city.
“Yung ating outdoor theater, hindi lang siya magagamit sa tourism-related events kung hindi sa iba’t ibang aktibidad ng siyudad, lalo na tuwing ‘Kaganapan’ at ‘Pyestang Fernandino’ pati na ang mga aktibidad na inoorganisa ng mga departamento natin sa lokal na pamahalaan,” explained Pangilinan.
For the target launching in May, in time for the “Pyestang Fernandino” celebration, stakeholders from the public and private sectors are expected to gather – with a rotor-operated giant lantern as one of the event’s highlights.
The Giant Lantern and Tourist Information Center, amphitheater, and the 5,000-square meter property upon which these will be constructed are donated by PCI as part of the firm’s amicable settlement with the city government over its purchase of the Paskuhan Village.
