Surigao City Cultural Center opens for business
by Harvey Entendez Diaz
Surigao City (May 29) -- Mayor Alfonso S. Casurra led recently the opening of the newly constructed 400-seater Surigao City Cultural Center, together with city officials, department heads and employees, in a short blessing and inauguration ceremony celebrated by Fr. Perfecto Icat, DCS.
The Surigaonons got the chance to view for the first time the new cultural center which the mayor announced as fully equipped with state-of-the art facilities. "This center is state of the art. It is fully air-conditioned. It has WiFi Internet [connections] and has a VIP room and a caterer's room. The restrooms are at par with big cultural centers you can find [in major cities]," the mayor said.
The facilities list does not stop there, as high-end amplifiers, public address system and lighting system were installed to complement future conferences, meetings and evens to be held in the cultural center.
Besides the facilities, the center also sported impressive interior furniture and decorative ornaments which are mostly made of and assembled from old wood glazed with antique finish. Oriental carpets also accentuated the waiting area and the VIP room. The landscape outside of the center is a combination of ornamental shrubs, grass and ceramic jars and pots, which only intensified the light orange paint of the center's outside walls.
Mayor Casurra announced the introductory rate for those who want to use the cultural center in his message during the cocktail part of the ceremony. "For only P2,500 for the first four hours, you can use the cultural center for your events. The organizers shall pay [the amount] whether you are from the the government or a private entity. No one is exempted from the [rent] fee," he said.
Mayor Casurra also underscored that the center can accommodate 400 people if seats are arranged side by side just like in seminars and conferences, but if tables are to be used, seating capacity will only be 250.
Located in the heart of the city hall compound, the cultural center can be seen as a landmark by anyone who passes the city hall as it attracts people to tour around the compound just to get an up-close glimpse of the orange edifice.
The construction of the cultural center began in early March and was turned over to the city government after almost three months, which the mayor said was rightfully on time. The center was also funded by local coffers. (PIA-Surigao del Norte) [top]
