ROXAS City – The provincial government of Capiz plans to construct a 5,000-seater convention center, the biggest in Panay Island if realized.
Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras recently led a project discussion.
“Capiz has been hosting conventions for the past 12 years – regional, national and international. The proposed Capiz Convention Center will be a bigger venue for these events,” said Provincial Tourism and Cultural Affairs officer Alphonsus Tesoro.
Contreras said the center was first discussed in 2019 as a multi-purpose facility.
Capiz, the acknowledged “Seafood Capital of the Philippines”, must also be known for its various physical attractions and this proposed project could be one of them, said Contreras.
Capiz is known for the Placuna placenta oyster shell that has the same name locally and is used for decoration and making lampshades, trays, window, and doors.
The province is also the site of the famous coral-stone Santa Monica Church in the town of Pan-ay, home to the largest Catholic Church bell in Asia. The bell was made from 70 sacks of gold and silver coins donated by the townsfolk. Measuring seven feet in diameter, five feet in height and weighing 10,400 kilograms or just over 10 metric tons, the Pan-ay bell is popular among tourists visiting Capiz.
The recent project discussion on the proposed convention center was attended by architects in Capiz, Tesoro, Provincial Administrator Edwin Chinel Monares, engineers and architects from the Department of Public Works and Highways, Office of Civil Defense, PDPI Structural Consultant, and Department of Tourism 6 director Helen Catalbas.
To be funded by the national government, the proposed Capiz Convention Center is being planned for construction on a two-hectare land at Pueblo de Panay in Barangay Lawaan, Roxas City.
The provincial government thanked Pueblo de Panay for the lot donation./PN
