UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS

Rawis, Legazpi City

“INTEGRATED REGIONAL GOVERNMENT CENTER”

SUBMITTED BY:
MOSES EDWARD NAZ
RAYMOND ALFRED LOPEZ
BIANCA MARIE CRUZA
CATHERINE BANGA
KARL MATTHEW BELLEZA

SUBMITTED TO:
AR. GEORGINA ALIBIN
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

“Strong government doesn't mean simply military power or an efficient intelligence apparatus. Instead, it

should mean effective, fair administration - in other words, 'good governance.' ”

-Raghuram Rajan

Background

Since the formation of the first human cities, there has always been a form of government that

administered the social, political, agricultural, and economic development of the city-state. Managing the

population, directing the flow of trade, regulating laws and constructing infrastructures are one of the

many functions of the government in the past up to now. In a simpler note, the government oversees and

addresses the needs of the people for the furtherance of its state.

A government is a political body that composes, organizes, and executes laws and institutions

which serve as the matrix of the state. To act in the best interest of its people, the government provides

services relating to infrastructure management, education and training, taxes and banking, transportation

systems, disaster management, health assistance, and employment eligibility and other services within the

administration's authority.

Government agencies are normally involved with people's daily lives. For this reason,

accessibility is an important aspect of constructing any government offices. Since government agencies

have that kind of involvement in people’s lives, a considerable number of people are expected to come

and go within the government premises. Business establishments can benefit from this fact and thus

government agencies are preferably located around them.

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Rationale

Legazpi city, as the regional center and the largest city in Bicol, is the nucleus of commerce,

tourism, education and eminently, the seat of the governing body. Over time, the city will continue to

develop and expand as it thrives to aim to engage with the competitive cities in the country. Equally, for

the mission and vision of the city to be accomplished, demand on the government arises to serve the

current needs of the people eventually enhancing not only the city but also the region’s future and well-

being.

The regional government is loosely defined as a branch of the state agency that serves a region.

Therefore a regional government center offers its services to a particular region. It consists of a total of 21

executive departments namely D.A.R. (Department of Agrarian Reform), D.A. (Department of

Agriculture), D.B.M. (Department of Budget and Management), DepEd (Department of Education),

D.O.E. (Department of Energy), D.E.N.R. (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), D.O.F.

(Department of Finance), D.F.A. (Department of Foreign Affairs), D.O.H. (Department of Health),

D.H.S.U.D. (Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development), D.I.C.T. (Department of

Information and Communications Technology), D.I.L.G. (Department of Interior and Local Government),

D.O.J. (Department of Justice), D.O.L.E (Department of Labor and Employment), D.N.D (Department of

National Defense), D.P.W.H (Department of Public Works and Highways), D.O.S.T. (Department of

Science and Technology), D.S.W.D. (Department of Social Welfare and Development), D.O.T.

(Department of Tourism), D.T.I (Department of Trade and Industry), D.O.Tr. (Department of

Transportation).

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 Regional development means wide-ranging, multi-level activities to promote wellbeing and

prosperity of the region. It is based on interaction within the country and between municipalities and other

sectors. The proposed Integrated Regional Government Center, the goals and measures of the country

and administrative branches are examined from regional perspectives. This examination covers

effectively and efficiently both the measures and resources of regional development and the effects of

policy-making in different sectors on regional centers that work together with the government to

strengthen the foundation of Bicol in terms of governance.

One of the major functions of LGUs is to bring about meaningful development in rural areas. The

smooth running of the proposed needs to be effective through adequate representations, policy

formulations, implementations, and equitable distributions of resources and services with the appropriate

facilities and its environment. This is because we recognize local governments as the most appropriate

public agency to reconcile the interests and different views of those citizens that experience a common

environment and to determine and implement social services that affect them. Physical developments on

regional centers in terms of its environmental states prove to be convenient if gathered together forming a

community that helps connect efficiently for the good governance of the Bicol region.

Current state of research in the field

The existing regional government center located in Rawis, Legazpi is but one of the institutional

centers located within the city. Unfortunately, the government center is reported to be below sea level

exposing it to potential hazards such as flooding caused by heavy rains, storm surges, and sea-level rise.

Furthermore, the regional government center lacks the other executive department offices and facilities

that the center requires making the viability to provide public services difficult for the government and

the people of the region. Architecturally, the design of the departments makes it somewhat hard to

distinguish from each other. With no maps provided, which represents the location of the facilities or

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departments makes finding them tedious and inconvenient. Proper pedestrian lanes are inexistent and road

networks are not properly planned, resulting in the congestion of traffic. There is also a concern for

security and safety in the area since there are no street lights. These current situations will contribute to

the factors impeding the growth of Legazpi if not addressed promptly. The researchers realize these issues

and the need for a government center that can provide efficient and systematized public services,

simultaneously, to produce a regional government center that is not only safe and secure but also

adaptable to its environment and the changing climate.

The researchers acknowledge these problems and are motivated to present an architectural design

solution for the relocation of the existing regional government center.

A proposed urban expansion has been presented in Taysan, Albay. The proposal is as it’s stated

“The expansion of urban areas will be located at the approximate site of the general development area. It

will be a compact mixed-used community where in the existing resettlements and residential will be

incorporated together with the central business district and other complementary land used such as

institutional, mixed-use residential and commercial and recreation areas. The linear development of the

park and plaza between business districts creates an unobstructed view from the Civic and Government

Center to the Central Park. The river is protected by the buffer zone which strictly prohibits any

development. A buffer zone is also placed between the mining areas and the agro-industrial zone. This is

to protect the agricultural areas from harmful waste generated by mining activities. The city plan will

adapt an interrelationship of each sector to achieve a livable urban city.”

The map of the proposal is presented below:

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 With the information presented above, it makes it the ideal location for a Regional Government

Center since it offers accessibility, with it being close by to residential areas and to the central business

district. This is why the researchers chose this site.

Review of related literatures & past studies and key references

Related studies of local will help the researchers gain more insights about the relocation of the

regional government center.

The Philippines’ Department of Agrarian Reform is the executive department of the

Philippine Government that is tasked with the responsibility for the redistribution of agrarian land

in the Philippines. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Agrarian Reform (Philippines).”)

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 The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture is the executive department of the

Philippine government that is tasked with the responsibility for the promotion of agricultural and

fisheries development and growth. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Agriculture

(Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Budget and Management is the executive department

that is tasked with the responsibility for the sound and efficient use of government resources for

national development and also as an instrument for the meeting of national socio-economic and

political development goals. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Budget and Management

(Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Education is the executive department that is tasked

with the responsibility for ensuring access to, promoting equity in, and improving the quality of

basic education. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Education (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Energy is the executive department that is tasked with

the responsibility for preparing, integrating, manipulating, organizing, coordinating, supervising

and controlling all plans, programs, projects, and activities of the Government relative to energy

exploration, development, utilization, distribution, and conservation. (Wikipedia contributors.

“Department of Energy (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources is the executive

department that is tasked with the responsibility for governing and supervising the exploration,

development, utilization, and conservation of the country’s natural resources. (Wikipedia

contributors. “Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Finance is the executive department that is tasked with

the responsibility for the formulation, institutionalization and administration of fiscal policies,

management of the financial resources of the government, supervision of the revenue operations

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of all local government units, the review, approval and management of all public sector debt, and

the rationalization, privatization and public accountability of corporations and assets owned,

controlled or acquired by the government. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Finance

(Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs is the executive department that is

tasked with the responsibility for the contribution to the enhancement of national security and the

protection of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty, to participate in the national

endeavor of sustaining development and enhancing the Philippine’s competitive edge, to protect

the rights and promote the welfare of Filipinos overseas and to mobilize them as partners in

national development, to project a positive image of the Philippines, and to increase international

understanding of Philippine culture for mutually-beneficial relations with other countries.

(Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Health is the executive department that is tasked with

the responsibility for ensuring access to basic public health services by all Filipinos through the

provision of quality health care and the regulation of all health services and products. (Wikipedia

contributors. “Department of Health (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is the

executive department that is tasked with the responsibility for the management of housing and

related development in the Philippines. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Human

Settlements and Urban Development (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Information and Communications Technology is the

executive department that is tasked with the responsibility for the planning, development, and

promotion of the country's information and communications technology agenda in support of

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national development. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Information and

Communications Technology (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Interior and Local Government is the executive

department that is tasked with the responsibility for promoting peace and order, ensuring public

safety and strengthening local government capability aimed towards the effective delivery of

basic services to the citizenry. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Interior and Local

Government (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Justice is the executive department that is tasked with

the responsibility for upholding the rule of law in the Philippines. It is the government’s principal

law agency, serving as its legal counsel and prosecution arm. (Wikipedia contributors.

“Department of Justice (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Labor and Employment is the executive department

that is tasked with the responsibility to formulate policies, implement programs and services, and

serve as the policy-coordinating arm of the executive branch in the field of labor and

employment. It is tasked with the enforcement of the provisions of the Labor Code. (Wikipedia

contributors. “Department of Labor and Employment (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of National Defense is the executive department that is

tasked with the responsibility for guarding against external and internal threats to peace and

security in the country. It exercises executive supervision of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

(AFP), the Office of Civil Defence (OCD), the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), the

National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), the Government Arsenal (GA), and the

Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation (PADC). It is also responsible for disaster

preparation and management in the country. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of National

Defence (Philippines).”)

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 The Philippines’ Department of Public Works and Highways is the executive

department that is tasked with the responsibility to “be the state’s engineering and construction

arm” and, as such it is “tasked to carry out the policy” of the state to “maintain an engineering

and construction arm and continuously develop its technology, for the purposes of ensuring the

safety of all infrastructure facilities and securing for all public works and highways the highest

efficiency and the most appropriate quality in construction” and shall be responsible for “the

planning, design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure facilities, especially national

highways, flood control and water resources development systems, and other public works in

accordance with national development objectives” provided that, the exercise of which “shall be

decentralized to the fullest extent feasible”. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Public

Works and Highways (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology is the executive department

that is tasked with responsibility for the coordination of science and technology-related projects

in the Philippines and to formulate policies and projects in the fields of science and technology in

support of national development. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Science and

Technology (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development is the executive

department that is tasked with the responsibility for the protection of social welfare of the rights

of Filipinos and to promote social development. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Social

Welfare and Development (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Tourism is the executive department that is tasked with

the responsibility for the regulation of the Philippine tourism industry and the promotion of the

Philippines as a tourist destination. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Tourism

(Philippines).”)

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 The Philippines’ Department of Trade and Industry is the executive department that is

tasked with the responsibility as the main economic catalyst that enables innovative, competitive,

job-generating, inclusive business and empowers consumers. It acts as a catalyst for intensified

private sector activity to accelerate and sustain economic growth through comprehensive

industrial growth strategy, progressive and socially responsible trade liberalization and

deregulation programs and policymaking design for the expansion and diversification of

Philippine trade both domestic and foreign. (Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Trade and

Industry (Philippines).”)

The Philippines’ Department of Transportation is the executive department that is

tasked with the responsibility for the maintenance and expansion of viable, efficient, and

dependable transportation systems as effective instruments for national recovery and economic

progress. It is also responsible for the country’s land, air, sea communications infrastructure.

(Wikipedia contributors. “Department of Transportation (Philippines).”)

Objective of the study

The study’s primary goal is the redesigning and relocation of the existing regional government

center, along with the proper planning of its required facilities and road networks. The study will also

concentrate on the design that it may be aesthetically pleasing and eco-friendly, to address and provide

solutions to the current problems within the existing regional center through a careful, though-out

architectural design. Through this, the government will be made more efficient and effective in

accommodating and aiding the delivery of public services and also in improving the quality of the city's

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urban functions, structures, and public spaces. A calculated design can reflect the values and

achievements of the community and also provide easy access which will strengthen the bond between

communities and the government which enhances the productiveness of the city government activities

and civic facilities which in turn would result in good governance. Moreover, this proposal intends to

solve the following questions: (1) what executive offices and space requirements are included in the

government complex? (2) What are the sustainable architectural building strategies and technologies to

be applied in the design? (3) What support facilities should be integrated within the complex? (4) What

architectural design solution could be done to develop and produce a government complex that has a good

sense of connectivity with its surrounding buildings?

To achieve the study's objectives, a climate-resilient regional government center in Taysan,

Legazpi is proposed as it aims to gather all the government facilities in one place and that can adapt to its

environment by providing open spaces and buildings that are sustainable and energy-efficient.

Advocating a climate-resilient regional government center will not only set as a good example in planning

and designing a government complex in the country but will also be the government’s key response to

climate change.

Significance of the study

This project is significant only to the groups which would benefit from the study and how they

would benefit from it. The beneficiaries of this project are the locals of the Bicol region who need and are

seeking jobs, information, connections, proper facilities concerning their subjects and objectives that in

need of governmental concern. Others, like researchers, could get information and expound their

knowledge concerning government issues, facilities, amenities, personnel, and other technicalities they

require. Professionals who need employment in their field of expertise in any of these regional centers

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might help them to know exactly where to go. The local government would act and decide effectively and

efficiently on public services.

The scope of the study will focus on the aspects of planning and designing the buildings for

“Integrated Regional Government Center" with suitable facilities and amenities. Its scope covered only

the architecture of the project (such as the functions, design solutions, and the like) and did not include

the structural details, finances and marketing aspects of the project.

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