Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Mayor Mylyn Cayabyab and Gov. Lilia Pineda cut the ribbon during the inauguration of the new Lubao municipal hall on Thursday.
New Lubao municipal hall. Photos by Ashley Manabat
LUBAO, Pampanga – The new Lubao municipal hall in Barangay Santa Catalina here was inaugurated on Thursday with Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Gov. Lilia “Nanay” G. Pineda and Mayor Mylyn P. Cayabyab cutting the ribbon.
Mayor Cayabyab said the construction cost was about P120 million which included the two-storey edifice, air conditioning, furniture and office equipment.
Leading the blessing of the new building was Archbishop Emeritus Paciano B. Aniceto. According to Cayabyab, the building is about 3,500 square-meters including the first and second floors and sits on a 2.7-hectare lot of what used to be a swampy area.
Engr. Francisco D. Waje, municipal engineer, said the construction started in 2016 which was done in phases.
“Phase 1 and phase 2 were done by the municipal government while the completion of the project was undertaken by the provincial government,” Waje said.
He said because of the swampy condition of the lot, mat foundation was done because the soil was soft with a low bearing capacity.
The new municipal hall is beside the 2.4-hectare satellite campus of the Don Honorio Ventura Technological State University (DHVTSU) which has three buildings done by the provincial government.
Cayabyab said the old municipal hall in Barangay San Nicolas 1, which is about 50 years old, will be converted into the Lubao museum.
“The old municipal hall is now an important cultural property,” Cayabyab said.
She said it will be turned over to the National Museum which will give out guidelines on how to convert it into a museum.
The mayor said one of the reasons for the transfer was flooding which perennially inundate the first floor of the old town hall up to three feet. “Even if we raise the floor, the ceiling will be too low,” she said.
Cayabyab said because of this problem, the museum might occupy only the upper floor.
As for the newly-inaugurated municipal hall, Cayabyab said this is one of her biggest accomplishments.
“Makakahinga na po ako ng maluwag na sa panahon ko nagawa na po namin ito kase gustu pu naming mabuhay ang bayan ng Lubao (I can now breathe a sigh of relief since it is during my time that we made this because we want to give life to the town of Lubao),” Cayabyab said.
The mayor said with the new municipal hall now conspicuously located along the highway, everybody will know that they are in Lubao and “we hope commercial establishments will follow suit.”
Cayabyab said the new municipal hall will not be realized without her mother (Gov. Pineda) and brother (Vice Gov. Dennis Pineda) at the Capitol as she expressed her gratitude to them.
