THE MAIN BUILDING of the Cagayan de Oro Convention Center is nearing completion with an 88% accomplishment rate based on the total released budget, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways-Region 10 (DPWH-10). The main convention building is part of a complex that will also have a multi-level carpark, restaurant, function rooms, material recovery facility, and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) office. The project, initiated by former senator Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. in 2001, was put on hold for many years due to questions on the site’s land ownership. Construction work resumed after the ownership issue was settled in late 2016. In a statement, DPWH-10 said the complex, located in Indahag, can accommodate up to 7,700 people and “will support various events like sports, concerts, conventions, exhibits, seminars, conferences, and trade shows.” During a site visit last June 30, Mr. Pimentel said he wants to name the complex after the late mayor Pablo P. Magtajas, who passed away in 2017. He led Cagayan de Oro from 1984 to 1998, the period considered as the start of the city’s economic boom.

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