Construction of Larap Seniors Citizens's social hall to resume

The unfinished social center for the Seniors of Larap.

The interior of the shell … flooring is missing as well as the roof. – MWBuzzpics by AP HERNANDEZ

By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ

THE stalled construction of the Senior Citizens’ hall in Larap will resume soon.

Mayor Ricarte “Dong” Padilla told MWBuzz the Larap Seniors can expect to have their social center in three months’ time.

“I already signed the release of the fund,” he said, referring to the money that has been allotted by the local government.

Padilla said the P250,000 set aside by the LGU is more than enough to complete the building.

He recently met Josefina Francisco, the proponent of the project, to bring her the good news.

Francisco confirmed to MWBuzz that Padilla himself met up with her in Larap for the project’s update.

“Yes … Mayor Padilla personally told me about it,” she said.

Francisco, who was the president of the Seniors association, initiated the construction of the unfinished center in 2010.

Through fundraising, her group was able to build the shell’s structure without roof, flooring, doors and windows.

Padilla said the allocated money would be enough to cover the cost of the unfinished portion of the hall.

The mayor was able to get P500,000 for the social center from Vice-President Jejomar Binay in 2012.

Binay looks after the welfare of the country’s senior citizens.

Padilla, however, decided to used the P500,000 funding to build a Senior’s social hall in Luklukan Sur.

He explained: Although the money was initially intended for the Larap center, I decided to use it instead to build one for Luklukan Sur.

“The money from Binay was more than enough to complete the Larap center since only the roof, flooring, windows and the finishing are needed to be done.

But since construction would be handled by the Department of Public Works (CamNorte), the excess fund “would just go somewhere”.

“It would not cost P500,000 to complete the building,” he said.

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