P75-M new DAR Bicol bldg to rise in Legazpi

By Connie Calipay

A P75-million building that will serve as the regional office of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Bicol (DAR-5) will soon rise in the Regional Government Center in Legazpi City.

The three-storey building to be constructed on a 4,352 square meter lot anytime this year will be funded by the General Appropriations Act and is expected to be completed by 2023.

Gerard Buensalida, DAR-5 spokesperson, said the building will be the new home of the DAR-Bicol regional office as well as the Albay Provincial Agrarian Reform Office.

"The ground floor and the second floor will be occupied by the DAR regional office while the 3rd floor will be occupied by the Albay provincial office," he said.

Buensalida said the building will be senior citizens-friendly, to make it "easy to accommodate our clients", especially the elderly farmers.

He said DAR-Bicol has been renting its office since 1989 and that he is pleased that the agency will now have its own building.

"With the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), green architecture will inspire the building's grand and modern design, with a touch and feel of a comfortable, pleasant ambiance overlooking the picturesque view of Mayon Volcano," he added. (PNA)