MAYOR Benjamin Lim asserted that there was a plan to “transform” the derelict MC Adore Hotel into Dagupan’s government center but said it was not his fault that it did not push through.

He made the clarification in a press release to refute the claim of PUNCH editor in his ‘Punchline’ column that he never presented a plan for the purchased hotel property.

In a press release issued to the local media, the mayor pointed to the failure of former Speaker Jose de Venecia to help in the effort to transform the building into a city hall as one of the reasons why the building was never developed.

“I asked for the help of then Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr. ya tulungan to tayo ya pitongtongan iramay national agencies tapian diad ground floor lara man-abang. Nothing happened. I left as a mayor and now I am back. Say tepet? ‘Antoy gawaen tayo natan ed MC Adore no bilang ta agtila tan nagawan city hall? Siempre no walay mangaliw, ilako tayo. For as long as we don’t sell it at a loss,” Lim said.

The former Speaker could not be reached at presstime for his reaction.

The press release, however, did not explain why the mayor he is no longer pursuing the plan now that he is back in office and would simply rather have the city sell it to an interested group.

It was Lim who initiated the purchase of the MC Adore property from the government’s Assets Privatization Trust for P50 million using a loan which was paid for by the city over five years ending in 2007 ostensibly as the site for a new city hall.

In the same release, Lim, for the first time, outlined the supposed plan for the building: ground floor to be rented to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Social Security System (SSS) office and PhilHealth;

Second floor as an extension office of SSS and PhilHealth, the city’s One Stop Shop for businesses, the Register of Deeds and a Theater;

Third floor for the offices of the vice mayor and the city councilors with conference room and the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) session hall;

Fourth floor will be the offices of the City Administrator, Agriculture, Budget, Treasury, Accounting, and Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of the Interior and Local Government and Commission on Audit.

Fifth floor for the City Engineer’s Office, City Planning and Development Office, General Services, City Legal and an area for mayor’s staff; and sixth floor for the mayor’s office; the rooftop for the City Information Office; seventh floor for a deck and swimming pool.

The city information office said the mayor is now leaving it to the city council whether to have the property bidded out.

“Natan no say desisyon na SP et ilako tan, then say gawaen na executive ipa-bidding itan tan iter naani ed samay highest bidder,” said Lim.

The city hall, however, was quiet on the mayor’s initial attempt to secure an authorization from the SP for him to negotiate the sale. No suggestion of a public bidding was mentioned in the mayor’s letter to the city council when he endorsed the offer of the Abros Realty.

The mayor said he is in no rush to sell the property but queried why the SP has not responded to the letter of offer of Abros Realty sent more than three months ago.

The letter offer was already withdrawn last week. (With report from CIO)

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