Petilla prefers keeping Capitol building in Tacloban

CEBU, Philippines - “We will retain the Capitol building in Tacloban City and I will still entertain dignitaries here,” Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla declared in answer to the prevailing issue on the reported transfer of the Capitol to Barangay Campetic in Palo, Leyte.

Earlier, insider sources from the provincial government disclosed that the Petilla administration will be transferring the seat of the provincial government to Palo due to the upgrade of Tacloban into a highly urbanized city where the Capitol building is presently located.

The transfer was also pursued considering that the Capitol building is located near the seashore and was among the buildings inundated and damaged by the 10-foot high storm surge during the super typhoon Yolanda on November 8, 2013.

Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto told the media in a dialogue early this year that the provincial government was able to acquire a vast area of flat land at Campetic, which was the site where the new Capitol will be constructed.

The lot, where the planned Capitol building will be constructed, covering about 15 hectares, is two kilometers from the shores of Red Beach and about a kilometer from the government center at Barangay Candahug in Palo, also near the Red Beach.

It is about 10 kilometers or a 30-minute ride from the current site of the Capitol in Tacloban City. It is also about eight meters above sea level, not prone to flooding and possible storm surge in the future.

Petilla said the new road currently being constructed at the diversion road in Tacloban City, cutting across hills towards Barangay Arado in Palo, is being opened in preparation for the construction of the new building at Campetic. 

The proposed Capitol in Palo was envisioned to house all offices of the provincial government as well as facilities, such as an evacuation center for nearby residents during natural calamity, among others.

As of now, the provincial government has yet to look for funds needed for the construction of the 11,000-square meter wide “Capitol” building in Palo.

However, Petilla, in an informal conference with court employees, aired his disapproval of naming the new building in Palo as “Capitol,” which is only apt for the historic Capitol building in Tacloban.

“This office (Capitol in Tacloban) was the seat of the Commonwealth government of the Philippines when President Sergio Osmeña Sr. came in 1944 during the World War II Liberation,” Petilla said, emphasizing the historical importance of the Capitol to be just converted into a museum.

The Capitol was built in 1907 as the seat of government of the province of Leyte, and used to house a branch of the regional trial court in the early 90s.

During the Yolanda onslaught, dead bodies were retrieved from around the Capitol and its basement, shored up by the storm surge. But Petilla said the Capitol building remained a wholesome place to work in, besides being rich in historical value. (FREEMAN)