New CREMDEC lodge unlikely to rise this year

CEBU, Philippines - The proposed three-storey lodging house for the Cebu City Resource Management and Development Center (CREMDEC) in Barangay Taptap is unlikely to be implemented this year due to lack of funds.

CREMDEC Executive Director Allan Bautista said the available P9.4 million is not enough to build the structure.

The initial estimate reportedly does not suffice after they realized that they would have to strengthen the structure’s foundation, considering the type of soil on which it will be built.

“Our architect from the engineering department said the building must have a stronger foundation considering the type of soil in our area and the number of stories of our proposed building,” Bautista said.

He said the Department of Engineering and Public Works estimates that they would need over P13 million if they will apply the modifications.

“We were advised to just implement the project when the fund is already complete so the implementation will not be interrupted,” Bautista said.

Since they already have P9.4 million from this year’s Annual Budget, they included the rest of the P13 million in next year’s annual budget, which is still under review by the City Council’s committee on budget and finance.

The three-storey building will consist of 72 units of single, double or dormitory-type rooms.

The building will also have a function room at the ground floor, which will also serve as the billeting area. The function room is designed to accommodate 200 persons simultaneously.

Bautista said they also plan to install a private bathroom in each unit. The lodging house shall increase their accommodation capacity.

CREMDEC accepts reservations for trainings and seminars at an affordable price.

Currently, there are two buildings in the area – the dormitory and the events hall. The expansion came from suggestions of their clients.

Bautista said that once the building is in place, they will be forced to increase their rate to recover their capital in five years.  (FREEMAN)