A new building worth over PHP590 million will soon be completed at the old airport here and is expected to help ease the workflow of transactions and give convenience to the clients of the Department of Public Works and Highways-Bicol (DPWH-5).
In an interview on Thursday, Lucy Castañeda, DPWH-5 spokesperson, said the new home of the DPWH regional office is seen to strengthen the agency’s commitment to serving the people with excellence.
The two-story building is being constructed on a 9,992-square-meter lot funded under the General Appropriations Act of 2023. It is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2024.
“There are housing office areas, training rooms, conference rooms, a library, union and coop room, a lactating area, as well as a wellness and fitness area. The building has been designed to be gender-responsive, featuring adequate restroom facilities and provisions for persons with disabilities (PWDs). The structure also boasts modern amenities such as elevators, hallway stairs, ramps, open areas with landscaping, and ample parking spaces for the convenience of employees, clients and visitors,” Castañeda said.
She said the construction of the building is being carried out in five phases, with Phases 1 to 4 already completed and Phase 5 still ongoing.
“The last phase which is ongoing now is the landscaping, fencing and site development. We want to ensure that, aside from excellent service to the people, we also want to give our employees a convenient, safe, comfortable workplace,” Castañeda said.
In a statement, DPWH-Bicol Regional Director Virgilio Eduarte said aside from the positive implications of giving quality service to their clients, the new home will help to lessen the volume of traffic in their previous office which is in Barangay Rawis, Legazpi City.
“Our transfer to this new location will most likely lessen the volume of traffic flow along Maharlika Highway in Rawis since our population is 1,026 plus the clients and visitors that we cater with… (we) also believe that we have the most number of vehicles in the regional center,” he said. (PNA)
