LIBERTAD, Abulug, Cagayan—A new and modernized town hall will rise soon in this thriving northwestern part of the province when the seat of power of Abulug will be transferred from the interior-seaside portion of the municipality to the highway.
Rep. Baby Aline P. Vargas-Alfonso of the 2nd District of Cagayan said the complete transfer of the municipal hall from Centro Abulug to Barangay Libertad is envisioned to bring progress and development to the town, after she led the groundbreaking ceremony of the multimillion-peso flagship project on May 27, which was the last day of the town’s fiesta.
The site is adjacent to the public market, post office and police station. All three buildings were established in Barangay Libertad a few years back in anticipation of the transfer of the seat of power.
It is also located at the back of the Libertad National High School, where Vargas-Alfonso spoke to about 500 town officials, including the mayor, members of the Sangguniang Bayan, heads of departments, barangay officials, health workers, teachers and visitors from neighboring municipalities.
Vargas-Alfonso thanked the full support of the mayor, the local legislature and the Department of Public Works and Highways for this project, which she says costs between P95 million to P100 million.
The lady solon is from this town. Her younger brother, Jose Emmanuel P. Vargas, is the mayor of Abulug, and her elder sister, Precy Vargas, is the vice mayor. The vice governor, Melvin Vargas Jr., and board member Jeff Vargas are her nephews.
“This is a historic day. This is to bring us closer to the constituents and bring progress and development to the municipality,” the mayor said in his welcome message.
The area is a part of the town of Abulug while Luna is a town of the province of Apayao where the Provincial Capitol is located as well as the Far North General Hospital and Training Center, which is considered as the largest and best in the area. Another big but private health care center, the Cagayan-Apayao Hospital will be opened soon.
This proximity to such facilities is the main consideration by the original planner of the project, the late Rep. Florencio L. Vargas, whom the lady solon succeeded through a special election upon her father’s death due to health reasons in 2010.
Engr. Gilbert Apaga said the lot is approximately 3,050 square meters and the municipal building would be around 1,800 square meters.
Apaga said offices of provincial and national line agencies will also be included in the design or built around the main building, making the project a municipal complex.
Aside from the town hall, Vargas-Alfonso said there will be a trial court building worth P10 million, a rural health unit structure worth P15 million, and a gymnasium worth P60 million.
She also mentioned her plan to repair and rehabilitate the public market, which had been damaged by typhoons the past two years, and initially drew plans to augment the effect of transfer from seaside to the highway.
When asked what will happen to the present municipal hall and all the other buildings, Apaga said it will be up to the Sangguniang Bayan to make the necessary plan, but he personally believes the facilities could be converted into a research center for marine and aquatic studies, especially since there already is a hatchery facility and the School of Fisheries in that area.
Alfonso-Vargas also promised to allot P500,000 for the right-side bleacher of the LNHS gym.
She also announced to the town’s public officials and barangay officials on the several infrastructure projects such as the P50 million pavement of a portion of the Ayaga-Sta. Rosa-Banguian provincial road.
DPWH Assistant District Engineer Relie Ulep also announced that District II Cagayan has the most number of proposed projects that passed evaluation.
Asked what will happen to Centro and the other barangays in the seaside areas after the transfer, Vargas-Alfonso explained that politics should be set aside, adding: “No one is indispensable in this kind of business.”
“While you are here (in a government position), you should do things the people will remember you by. As the ‘mother’ of the second district (of Cagayan), we will not stop making ways for the good of everyone. We won’t be in politics forever,” she said.
She acknowledged that the town of Abulug has been somewhat left behind “when it comes to progress and development,” compared to other towns in the area.
In the past few years, major commercial establishments had been rising like mushrooms in Junction Luna, which is the site of the soon-to-be-built seat of power Abulug.