Bordado to help finance mayor’s proj

By Jason B. Neola

The Balatas Development Center (BDC), one of Naga’s four new growth areas, is set to undergo further enhancement. Mayor Nelson Legacion personally informed Camarines Sur 3rd District Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. that the city is seeking funding assistance to undertake the project.

As of the press time on Wednesday, specific details regarding the allocation of funds have not yet been made available. However, during the 25th foundation anniversary of the Naga City Bantay Familia (NCBF), the mayor hinted that the funds would be directed towards the development of the Center, in addition to improving its overall aesthetics.

The BDC hosts several significant facilities, including the 200-bed Naga City General Hospital, Balatas National High School, Center for Safety and Resiliency (CeSaR), Naga City Police Office (NCPO) headquarters, Multi-Purpose Event and Evacuation Center, and the Naga City Urban Agriculture Training Center and Demo Farm.

The Center will feature a 20-meter-wide road project with a four-lane carriageway, green lines adorned with fruit-bearing and flowering trees, bike lanes, walkways, and a food and leisure park, currently under construction.

Moreover, it will be the site for seven medium-rise condominiums called The Legacy Residences, constructed through the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino program under the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD).

Expressing gratitude during the NCBF’s anniversary, Legacion thanked Bordado for his positive response to the funding request. In turn, the lawmaker acknowledged the mayor’s expression of gratitude.

The other growth areas established within Legacion’s second term in office as city mayor: the Sta. Cruz New Development Area, the Almeda New Development Area, and the Bicol Riverfront Development Area.

The Sta. Cruz New Development Area now houses the Naga City Health Office II, the Naga City Event Center I, and the newly-established Sta. Cruz National High School. Other facilities that will be established at that location include a medium-rise housing.

The Almeda New Development Area now stands the New City College of Naga, and the RT-PCR Molecular Laboratory, which will soon be followed with the construction of TESDA office, its training and innovation centers, Police Station II of the Naga City Police Office, and the Naga City Event Center III.

The Bicol Riverfront Development Area that will feature a river boulevard, the People’s Park and Recreation Center with cafés and concert ground, and other interactive and recreational facilities. It can be accessed thru a bypass road and a bridge that is now undergoing construction that will further serve as an alternate route to ease traffic congestion along the Maharlika-Diversion Road.