CJ Peralta, DOJ Sec. Guevarra inspect New Justice Hall building site in John Hay

December 7, 2020 Headlines

BAGUIO CITY – The City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) presented the proposed new Justice Hall building site and plan, December 4, at a local restaurant to national and city officials led by Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta andDepartment of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.
Also present were Rep. Mark Go, Mayor Benjamin Magalong, city councilors and department heads, and officers of the DOJ, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), and John Hay
Management Corporation. City Administrator Engr. Bonifacio dela Pena said the building’s new site is a 10,187 square meter lot inside Camp John Hay donated to the city thru usufruct by the BCDA.
He added that the city government has already earmarked P400 million for the six-storey facility’s construction. Archt. Cliff Richards Ham said the proposed structure would have more adequate space to accommodate offices, mediation rooms, archives and record rooms, evidence rooms, conference and meeting rooms and prison rooms.
The building will also have a library, canteen, medical clinic, restrooms, including parking and utilities, he said. “The facility’s new site also provides a safe, convenient and tranquil environment,” Ham pointed out.
He said the old Justice Hall building located at the back of City Hall and built in the 1990’s is already dilapidated and lacks adequate ventilation.
He added that the regional and municipal trial courts and other offices accommodated therein are just too small. “It’s emergency entrances and even some courts have been turned into storage areas compromising the safety of those inside the building,” Ham stressed.
Other than a new Justice Hall, the city is also planning to construct several other structures that would house the Fire Department, Department of National Defense, Office of Civil Defense and Emergency Medical Services.
However, funding for the project is still being threshed out by city managers in light of the on-going coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic where the city is projecting losses of about P200 million in income this year.
Gaby B. Keith/ABN