PALAYAN CITY, Nueva Ecija – A modern one-stop shop government center that will make public service accessible and convenient and easy will soon open in this capital city of Nueva Ecija.
Governor Czarina Umali said the modern facilities which are equipped with elevators can accommodate offices of almost all national agencies now stationed at the old Capitol compound in Cabanatuan City.
“It is a major breakthrough in our drive to transform our capital city into Nueva Ecija’s government center and premiere growth hub,” Umali said.
A fifth class city about 17 kilometers east of Cabanatuan City, Palayan City was created to be the province’s capital city in 1965. Based on 2010 census, this city has a population of 37,219 people.
Among the agencies that will occupy the government building are National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Elections (Comelec), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Civil Service Commission (CSC).
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is also expected to put up an office here.
Umali said the project demonstrates how development partners can work effectively with this government infrastructing investment that will step up growth and opportunities in the countryside as it transformed the “once barren government land” into an “integral institutional and civic complex.”
The three-hectare lot that also hosts a 15,000-slot call center hub and a 120-room business hotel was donated by the city government to the provincial government.
“We are providing the stimulus for more robust local economy, one that is marked by increased investment and improved job opportunities to all hand in hand with the enrichment of our agriculture industry,” Umali, wife of former Gov. Aurelio Umali who conceptualized the project, said.
Mayor Adrianne Mae Cuevas of this city said they have prepared for the problems, including possible traffic congestion, that the influx of people that will populate the hub may bring.
“There will be some problems that we expect to encounter but I believe with our colleagues in the city government of Palayan because they are helping me to make sure that everything is handled properly,” Cuevas said.
The government center is expected to be filled up by January but the entire hub is seen to be fully operational within the first quarter of 2017, according to Patrick Nicholas David, developer.
The business hub was planned to have a powerful internet connectivity, and 24-hour stable power supply with 120 percent power back-up.
A one-stop shop for all important government services as pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte, a source privy to the development said the project will be followed by the construction of a central transport hub that will link this city to all major cities and towns of Nueva Ecija.
David said Alloy MTD, a Malaysian subsidiary, designs governments centers in its bid to help government address huge problems, including traffic and jobs.
“This is in support to decongest Metro Manila, give more job opportunities to the provinces like Palayan City instead that those are only centered in the cities like Manila, Cebu and Davao,” he said. (PNA) LAP/ZST/MEG