Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said the city government is planning to construct a second library in the city in 2024.
On Tuesday, April 11, Sotto shared that he has identified a piece of land in District 2 of Barangay Sta. Lucia that can possibly be acquired for the new library.
However, the local government is still working out the process of acquisition since the lot is said to be owned by the national government, he noted.
“Ayusin natin this year ‘yung lupa. Next year, baka pwede na natin pagtayuan hopefully (We’ll settle the arrangements for the land this year. By next year, hopefully we can finally build [the library]),” Sotto said.
(Pasig City Library and Learning Resource Center / MANILA BULLETIN)
The lot was chosen since there is still no library in the area of District 2 in Pasig, Sotto said.
The new library will complement the services already offered by the city’s main learning hubs – the Pasig City Library and Learning Resource Center (PCLLRC), which is located in Caruncho Avenue, Barangay San Nicolas, as well as the Pasig City Hall Library (PCHL) on the eighth floor of the city hall.
(Pasig City Library and Learning Resource Center / MANILA BULLETIN)
Sotto stressed the aim of the local government to augment free learning spaces for Pasiguenos of all ages.
Students and working individuals utilize these venues to accomplish school requirements and work-related tasks. The city hall library, Sotto noted, is highly in demand.
“Karamihan talaga nakikita natin, mga kabataan naghahanap ng puwesto kung saan pwede mag-aral. Kaya gusto po natin maging mas accessible. Gusto natin makatulong sa mga nag-aaral (Majority that we have seen are young people looking for spaces where they can study. That is why we want these to be more accessible. We want to help our students),” Sotto said.
Upcoming infrastructure projects
As the local government eyes the library construction in 2024, it is also focusing on starting various big infrastructure projects for 2023.
Among these are the renovation of the PCLLRC and the Science Discovery Centrum (SDC), which is on the second floor of the main library. The construction of the new SDC will be made according to national and international standards.
Renovations for the Special Children Education Institute (SCEI) on Caruncho Avenue, Barangay San Nicolas will also begin sometime this year.
The SCEI is the city’s education institute for children with special needs. Sotto said it has been visited by the Engineering Office and a program of work for the renovations has been approved.
The projects for SCEI aims to help the local government in its aim to strengthen and improve its services for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the city.
Sotto mentioned the previous benchmarking visit of the staff of the Office of the City Mayor and the Pasig SCEI to Carmona, Cavite to learn about their PWD programs. In particular, the local government hopes to adopt Carmona’s best practice of mapping PWD students at the barangay level – from birth to school age – to better accommodate their needs.
These projects are included in the city’s approved P15 billion budget for 2023.