Wanted: Town hall for mayor

Marawi City — A mayor without a town hall?

Mohammadali Abboh Abinal, mayor-elect of Marantao, Lanao del Sur, faces the prospect of not having a municipal hall when he assumes office on June 30.

The reason: the municipal building — along with the police station, too — stands on the property which the family of his rival, Jimmy Guro, owns.

Guro, who Abinal trounced in the May 10 elections, is a brother of third-termer Mayor Manggay Guro who ran — and lost — in Lanao del Sur’s second district congressional race.

The town hall’s compound is surrounded by a 20-foot high perimeter fence.

Realizing the problem, Abinal said he might just rent a building in the poblacion (town proper) where he could temporarily hold office.

Abinal said he might construct a new municipal building as soon as funding becomes available, such as the 20 percent development fund from the municipality’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) or funding assistance from the national government or legislators.

He plans to build the new town hall on a one-hectare property in Barangay Pagtapuli. He estimates the project to cost some P25 million.

"There will be no more problem for future mayors-elect when they assume office because the proposed town hall will be constructed on a government-acquired land," Abinal said.