CAVITE – The city government officially broke ground for a new cultural center in Barangay Daang Bukid, which seeks to promote local heritage and culture.

The ground-breaking ceremony for Sentrong Pangkultura ng Lungsod ng Bacoor on Thursday, May 25, was led by Cavite 2nd District Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, Mayor Strike B. Revilla, Vice Mayor Rowena B. Mendiola, and other local officials.

Also in attendance were Agimat Partylist Bryan Revilla, Tourism Infrastructure and. Enterprise Zone Authority Chief Operating Officer Mark Lapid, Department of Tourism (DOT) Assistant Secretary Christopher Morales, DOT Region 4A Director Marites Castro, and Bacoor Historical Society President Jose Andres Diaz.

Bacoor City breaks ground for a new cultural center (City Government of Bacoor/MANILA BULLETIN)

Mayor Revilla said they had been proposing the project to DOT since 2019 when he was still the representative of Cavite 2nd District. However, the construction did not materialize due to budget constraints.

“Ang nakadali sa atin, 'yung Boracay, doon pong dinala lahat ang pondo. Tapos sumunod na taon, nadali naman ng Covid (We were held back by the Boracay rehabilitation, where all funds were exhausted. The next year, we were held back by Covid),” the mayor recalled.

“Sana maitayo na po ito, at finally, maipakita natin sa Caviteño na ang Bacoor ay part ng history ng ating lalawigan (I hope we can finally build this and we can show Caviteños that Bacoor is part of the history of our province).”

Rep. Mercado-Revilla said the area surrounding the cultural complex will serve as the city’s historical zone.

“Ang St. Michael Church, katapat lang, katabi ang Plaza Padre Mariano Gomez (The St. Michael Church is right across, beside it is Plaza Padre Mariano Gomez),” the representative said during her speech.

“Nandiyan din ang Cuenca House, na nagsilbing unang Malacañang ng ating bansa; maituturing po nating very strategic para mabuhay ang kasaysayan ng atin pong lungsod (Cuenca House is also there, which served as the first Malacañang of our country; we can consider this location very strategic in reviving the history of our city.”

The cultural center will comprise Museo De Bacoor, Juan Balmaceda Library, a mini theater, K-to-12 arts track classrooms, and a one-stop-shop souvenir center.

The complex will also house the City Tourism Development Office, the Culture and Arts Council Office, and the Bacoor Historical Society Office.