A venue that will bring various public services to the public, all in one building.
That was the goal of the city government of Biñan in Laguna as it officially started the construction of the Biñan Central Square in a groundbreaking ceremony last Monday, September 18.
Situated inside a three-hectare property in Barangay Zapote near the Biñan City Hall and other local government installations, the future Biñan Central Square will serve as a “one-stop shop” for various government services not only for Biñanenses but for other residents of Laguna province as well.
Not only that, the soon-to-rise 10-storey commercial complex will give an opportunity for investors and entrepreneurs in Biñan City to showcase their products and find new opportunities for economic growth, according to city officials.
“Nakikinita natin na malaki ang maitutulong ng proyektong ito para sa mga mamamayan ng ating Lungsod maging ng ating mga karatig-bayan at lungsod,” was how Biñan City Representative Len Alonte put it.
Public-Private Partnership
This latest development in Biñan City is the newest public-private partnership (PPP) project entered by the Biñan City government, Biñan City Mayor Arman Dimaguila said in an interview with OpinYon Laguna.
For the Biñan Central Square, the city government partnered with Baque Corporation, the same company that will implement the “Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing” (4PH) program of the national government in the city.
“Mayroon kasing in-expropriate ang city government na three-hectare property [malapit sa Biñan City Hall], and nakita naming yung viability ng pagtatayo ng isang mall sa naturang lugar na hindi magco-compete sa, sabihin natin, Pavilion Mall. Naisip namin, kasama ng Sangguniang Panlungod, na ibang klaseng mall itong gagawin namin,” the city mayor explained.
The public-private partnership, Dimaguila added, meant that the city government will have to shell out only a small amount of the 700 to 800 million pesos that has been projected to construct the mall.
“Yung proponent, siya yung gumastos para dito,” he said. “Ang City of Biñan ay gumastos lamang ng P60 million for the expropriation ng lupa, at tinutuos namin na in two to three years, maibabalik yung P60 million na iyon, tapos eventually annually kikita ang city ng around P25 to P30 million isang taon.”
More accessible for Lagunenses
The city government envisions the Biñan Central Square as a one-stop shop for various government agencies such as Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), among others.
“Actually po, talagang nag-iisip na po kami beforehand ni Mayor Arman kung paano mapapalapit yung services [ng government agencies] sa mga tao. In fact, noong una pa lang, lumalapit na po ang BIR office dito na gusto nilang maglagay ng mas malapit dito sa City Hall,” Vice Mayor Gel Alonte related to OpinYon Laguna.
The LGU’s dream for the Biñan City Square, of course, echoed the visions of various other “one-stop shop” centers constructed in Laguna province in past years.
The most notorious had been the Calabarzon Regional Government Center in Calamba City, Laguna that was ultimately abandoned due to lack of access from the main road routes. (Later, it was converted into a quarantine facility during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.)
So what makes this “one-stop shop” in Biñan City different?
“Actually, very convenient ito kasi paglabas mo sa expressway [from the SLEX Mamplasan Exit], nandyan na agad ang Biñan Central Square,” Dimaguila said.
“At ngayon, wala pa tayong problema dito in terms of vehicular traffic – una kasi, ang lapit, tapos ang lapad pa ng kalsada, at sinisiguro namin na maayos ang parking dito. At kung magkaroon man ng traffic sa daang ito, lalo na sa may malapit sa Pavilion Mall, manageable pa naman, pero magi-introduce tayo ng mga measures para ma-prevent naman yung sobrang traffic.”
More projects coming soon
The Biñan Central Square is the latest in a string of PPP agreements the city government had entered with the private sector – and it won’t be the last, Dimaguila bared.
“Marami pa po kaming mga nakalatag na susunod na PPP project; siguro before my term ends, mayroon na kaming napasimulan na anim hanggang pitong PPP projects.”
Most of these projects, he said, will focus on the implementation of the 4PHs socialized housing project of the city government, with residents living on the lower-income bracket as well as those relocated from danger zones being the top priority.
This is on top of the other infrastructure projects slated by the Biñan LGU, which includes a new building that will house the Sangguniang Panglungsod as well as a new headquarters for the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO).
A united government
According to Vice-Mayor Alonte, the success of the major infrastructure projects currently spearheaded by the city government is a testament of the true “unity” not only between Biñan City’s “Big Three” leaders but of the LGU as a whole.
“Actually po, para sa akin, kaming tatlo nina Mayor Arman at Cong Len, pati na ang Sangguniang Panglungsod, ay mga instruments kami na ginagamit ang ating lakas upang magbigay ng serbisyo sa mga Biñanense. Iyon po ang nakakatuwa dito, dahil maganda ang aming samahan sa isa’t isa, naibibigay po talaga namin ang mga programs and projects naming para sa mga tao,” he stressed.
That spirit of unity and heart in public service is also what Vice Mayor Alonte now wants to impart to the youth, especially in light of the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this October.
“Lagi kong sinasabihan yung mga tatakbo para sa Sangguniang Kabataan na kapag gusto mong magserbisyo, importante na nasa puso mo yung paglilingkod na gusto mo,” he said.
“Dapat siguraduhin nila na talagang dapat may puso sila para sa serbisyo para sa tao, bago sila lumahok sa ganyan, dahil hindi biro yan. Hindi pwedeng gusto niyo lang maging SK chairman o kagawad, ang talagang importante ay kailangan niyong magserbisyo makatulong sa tao.”
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