THE 11 tribes of the city prominently featured in the newly refurbished session hall of the Sanguniang Panlungsod building showcased the city’s focus on inclusivity, Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain Jr. said on Tuesday.
Seven months in the making, the session hall opened to the media for a first look on Tuesday, July 30.
The vice mayor said it took 29 years before the session hall was given a refreshed appearance, showcasing textiles from 11 tribes: Ata, Maguindanaon, Matigsalug, Bagobo Klata, Maranao, Obo Manuvu, Bagobo-Tagabawa, Tausug, Sama, Iranun and Kagan.
“We get to only know about them during Kadayawan and now it is on permanent display,” Quitain told reporters.
The display shows that Davaoeños support unity in diversity, he said.
The textiles from the tribes are displayed in front of the Sangunian secretariat table. In the former session hall, the table had a plain display.
An initial budget of P11 million was earmarked under Supplemental Budget No. 1 CY 2023 to cover the infrastructure component of the renovation.
Apart from the appearance, the upgraded facilities also included an LED wall, sound system, swivel chairs for the vice mayor and councilors, air conditioning units, and audience chairs.
The new session hall no longer features the Philippine flag and opted to put up a UV-printed
SP logo in the middle on top of the vice mayor seat.
The vice mayor said renovation of the session is already at 98% with a few final finishing touches, to be completed before the State of the City Address (SOCA) of Mayor Sebastian Duterte.
He said there is no final date for the mayor’s SOCA but he expects it will happen next week when the lawmakers start using the session hall.
However, the adoption of the “less paper session” will be delayed until September or October. The software will have to undergo beta testing before it will be fully utilized by the councilors.
Less paper session system enables all agendas, committee reports, attachments, and other items to be converted to digital copies to reduce reliance on print materials.
SP building renovation
Meanwhile, Quitain said the Fire Detection and Alarm System of the building has been installed in all the offices of the city councilors, while the SP lobby is still underway. A P25 million budget was appropriated for the system.
The P700,000 breastfeeding/Nursing and lactating room is located on the first floor and provided with a lavatory for hand washing, refrigeration or cooling facilities for storing breast milk, electrical outlets for breast pumps, a small table; and seats for lactating mothers.
The vacated space of the old city library formerly located on the SP 3rd floor was renovated to include a new Conference Room for the members of the city council and VIPs, and rooms for musalla/ prayer, storage, CITC and SP server, pantry with storage, conference console, SP Records, archives, utility, and new comfort rooms.
The budget for the renovation amounted to P5.2 million, with a contract amount of P5,185,200.
On the other hand, the SP Lobby underwent renovations, including the refurbishment and replacement of the entrance, floor tiles, ceiling, and roll-up door.
Photos: Bing Gonzales
