Romualdez leads groundbreaking of Tacloban’s P750-M convention center
Speaker Martin Romualdez | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of the House of Representatives of the Philippines
TACLOBAN CITY – A P750-million international convention center will soon rise here.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez led the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, Feb. 7, marking the start of the project’s construction.
The facility, to be named the Benjamin Romualdez International Convention Center (BRICC), will be built on a two-hectare site at the former Leyte Park Hotel grounds along Magsaysay Boulevard.
It is named after Benjamin Romualdez, the late father of Speaker Romualdez, who served as Leyte governor from 1967 to 1986.
Romualdez emphasized that the project not only showcases Tacloban and Leyte’s rich culture but also serves as a symbol of resilience following the devastation of Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013.
Article continues after this advertisement“More than a decade after Yolanda, who would have thought that we would have such a beautiful, world-class convention center?” said Romualdez, who is Leyte’s first congressional district representative.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Leyte Park Hotel, which once stood on the same site, was among the structures heavily damaged when Yolanda struck Tacloban on Nov. 8, 2013.
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Romualdez assured that construction will begin immediately and is expected to be completed within two to three years.
Originally, the BRICC was designed as a three-story, modern, user-centric facility with a seating capacity of 2,200 people.
However, Romualdez has requested the Department of Public Works and Highways to revise the design to increase capacity to 5,000, ensuring that it can accommodate larger events and gatherings.
