Casa Real’s restoration set to begin
LINGAYEN—The restoration of the grandeur of the Casa Real, once the seat of the provincial government during the Spanish era, is set after being assured of P85 million budget.
Second District Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil disclosed in an open forum last August 27 that the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) under the Department of Tourism (DOT) has approved an additional P50 million budget for the Casa Real restoration.
This new allocation is in addition to the P30 million initial budget from the General Appropriations Act 2015 and P5 million from the provincial government.
Soon a grand landmark.
Mr. Bataoil said the engineers and architects estimated the restoration to cost at least P50 million. The program of work for the project is already being prepared for bidding.
Meanwhile, the 58 families of informal settlers that have built houses at the back of the Casa Real structure already agreed to vacate to a relocation site provided by the provincial government and the only remaining obstacle is the provision for additional assistance, solon said.
Casa Real, situated beside the Lingayen Municipal Hall and Provincial Jail, is a Spanish-era building that served as the Provincial Capitol until a new Capitol Building, located at its present location, was completed in 1918.
Constructed in the 1840s, the two-story building became the station of the Spanish soldiers and their native recruits who fought the Katipuneros.
Upon the creation of Pangasinan as a civil province in 1901 by the Taft Commission, Judge William Howard Taft and his commissioners were given a grand reception in the Casa Real.
Casa Real was declared as a National Historical Landmark by the National Historical Institute on March 13, 2002, for its historical significance and architectural importance as an “outstanding and unique example of civic architecture from the Spanish and American colonial periods.”
Once the restoration is completed, the Casa Real will be the site of the provincial museum. Initial recommendation for the Casa Real restoration project was made by the Pangasinan Historical and Cultural Commission.- (Johanne Macob)
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