FEASIBILITY STUDY. The architect's perspective of the proposed International Convention Center in Tacloban City. Some PHP70 million has been set aside for the conduct of the feasibility study of the proposed project, the Department of Public Works and Highways in Eastern Visayas said on Monday (Sept. 2, 2024). (Photo courtesy of DPWH)
TACLOBAN CITY – Some PHP70 million has been set aside for the conduct of a feasibility study on the proposed International Convention Center (ICC) in this city, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office here reported on Monday.
The budget for the said study has already been allocated by the national government under the 2024 regular appropriations. The DPWH is presently evaluating qualified bidders for the conduct of the feasibility study, said DPWH regional information officer Cressida Paula Mangaporo in a phone interview.
“If realized, this International Convention Center will be a world-class venue to host regional, national, and international events, representing an opportunity-rich and future-proof Tacloban City,” Mangaporo said.
All structures of this project are designed to be resilient, with aerodynamic forms that will allow natural flow of breeze, aligning to the climate of the region.
The DPWH has yet to release details on the timetable of the feasibility study, which will determine how much funding is needed to build the project and its timetable.
The structure will rise within the 6.1-hectare complex of the abandoned Leyte Park Resort Hotel, which was built 45 years ago by then First Lady Imelda Marcos.
The hotel was taken over by the government in 1986 after the Edsa People Power Revolution. Its ownership was transferred to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, the Privatization Management Office, and the provincial government of Leyte.
In 1994, the hotel along the city’s Magsaysay Boulevard was leased to a private company, but the company decided to build a new property in the city and shut down Leyte Park Resort Hotel in late 2021. (PNA)
