Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto apologized to the public and city hall employees for the inconvenience caused by the relocation of departments and offices to the temporary city hall to make way for the redevelopment of the Pasig City Hall.
On Monday, September 16, the operations of the temporary city hall at Bridgetowne in Amang Rodriguez, Barangay Rosario, started for the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) and Real Property Tax (RPT)-related transactions such as assessment and payment.
The other services that have not yet been transferred will remain at the Pasig City Hall Compound and in the two city hall annexes. Visit the Facebook page of the Pasig Public Information Office (PIO) for more details on the schedule of transferring the services.
Sotto acknowledged that the transfer to the temporary city hall is quite challenging as it requires sacrifices from both the transacting public and employees who are handling the transfer and inventory.
“Alam ko mahirap itong ginagawa natin… pero sana pare-pareho tayo, ika nga ‘on the same page’ tayo na alam po natin kung bakit natin ginagawa ito. Hindi natin ito ginagawa dahil naisipan lang natin o trip-trip lang. Hindi po (I know this is difficult for us… but I hope we are all on the same page and understand the purpose behind the redevelopment project. We’re not doing this just because we only want it),” Sotto said.
The mayor explained that the relocation was made due to structural issues found at the current Pasig City Hall, such as cracks and fissures on its walls, floors, and other areas, along with complaints of leakages, uneven ground, and other similar issues.
Also, he said the building failed in mere visual inspections that even non-engineers and non-architects can see these structural issues via visual tests.
The mayor also emphasized that public safety and the people’s lives are the top priorities in pushing for the redevelopment project.
He also explained the importance of executing the once-in-a-lifetime project properly as it aims to make the City Hall future-proof so that it can be used for the long term.
“Kung kailangan na lang din gumawa ng project na ganito na hindi talaga recommended ng mga engineers and architects ang retrofitting ay ayusin na rin natin para maging pangmatagalan o long term yung proyekto… minsan ka lang gagawa ng proyekto na ganito kalaki [kaya] ayusin na natin siya na para good for 100 years yung itatayo natin (If we need to make a project like this, especially since retrofitting is not really recommended by engineers and architects, let's make sure it’s done properly so that the project is durable and long-term. We only do a project like this once in a while, so let’s ensure that what we build will last for 100 years),” the mayor stated.
He also reminded everyone not to get used to the usual government practice of implementing half-baked projects just for show.
“Huwag tayong masanay sa gawain ng gobyerno na ‘ay para masabing natapos na,’ na para lang masabi na ‘okay na ‘yan, p'wede na ‘yan,’ huwag tayong masanay sa ganoon. Ayusin natin kasi isang beses lang sa mga buhay natin gagawin ‘to (Let’s not get used to the government’s way of just saying ‘it’s finished’ or ‘it’s good enough.’ Let’s not settle for that. Let’s do it right because we only do this once in our lives),” he said.
Sotto stated that the project will have positive outcomes especially in terms of long-term economic value, local economy, and local economic stimulation.
He also clarified that the resources used for the project are derived from the city’s savings, therefore, no programs, projects, or activities will be affected.