VM Belen hits Lim for MC Adore purchase
THE word war in Dagupan continues.
Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez is not backing down on the tirades hurled by former Mayor Benjamin Lim against the administration of incumbent Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr., who chose to hold back his punches until after Christmas.
In a talk over Aksyon Radio Dagupan a day after Lim spoke at “Engkwentro sa Lenox” forum, the vice mayor questioned the Lim administration’s decision to purchase the old MC Adore building for P50 million, ostensibly to be renovated to house government offices.
Lim criticized the Fernandez administration’s failure to develop the MC Adore property after he stepped down.
Fernandez doubted the motive of the former city administration in acquiring MC Adore when its location, which is in the midst of the traffic bottleneck along Zamora and Galvan Streets with no ample parking area at the site, is not suitable.
The vice mayor said a new city hall, as borne out by studies of UP zoning experts during his time, should be located outside the downtown area to minimize traffic congestion in the heart of the city.
Following the recommendation of the studies, she said she built CSI the City Mall in Lucao.
Fernandez said chided the former mayor that he had his chance to pursue his avowed plans for the old hotel building only to realize that the hotel’s conversion as a government center was not viable after all since the hotel rooms were so small to accommodate a single government unit’s operations.
“The city will have to spend some P100 million just for renovation and make the hotel rooms serve the purpose,” she pointed out.
Lim stressed that he negotiated the purchase of the 5,000-square meter MC Adore property at a bargain price of P50 million as the prevailing price for a prime lot in the area could go as high as P70,000 per square meter.
Fernandez countered that the amount would have been put to better use for other projects that would deliver immediate and direct benefits to the people of Dagupan.
City Legal Officer George Mejia said he will recommend that the MC Adore property be sold to private parties. –LM
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