Republic of the Philippines

WESTERN MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE
Normal Road, Baliwasan, Zamboanga City

PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT FOR THMUNICIPAL HALL OF

IMELDA, ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of College of Architecture,

Western Mindanao State University

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

AR 155 Architectural Design 9 for the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Architecture

Submitted by:

Renel A. Arconada

BS Architecture V-A

Ar. Jeffrey Roy D.S Wee, uap

Thesis Adviser

Ar. Ruby Alita A. Sahi, uap, rmp, M.ArchSci

Class Adviser
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

a. Rationale

In a local government in the Philippines, a municipal hall is the chief administrative

building of a town or municipality. It usually houses the municipal council, its

associated departments, and their employees.

A municipal hall is a very important building in any society. It makes sure that the

municipality is functioning properly. According to the Local Government Code of 1991,

the municipality, consisting of a group of barangays, serves primarily as a general

purpose government for the coordination and delivery of basic, regular and direct

services and effective governance of the inhabitants within its territorial jurisdiction.

Municipal hall provides a place where all citizens can go and voice their opinions about

the city and what they think needs to be done to improve the existing conditions.

Municipal Hall is where decisions for the town are determined and it should accurately

reflect the built environment (Buerkle, 2014). The local government may endeavor to

use the building to promote and enhance the quality of life of the community. In many

cases, municipal halls serve not only as buildings for government functions, but also

have facilities for various civic and cultural activities. These may include art shows,

stage performances, exhibits and festivals.

Located in the eastern part of Zamboanga Sibugay, is a landlocked and a mountainous

a called the Municipality of Imelda. As to Imelda, a municipal hall has been put up and

has stood for several decades. Such building is situated on a hilltop in Barangay

Poblacion Sta. Fe, overlooking the whole town proper. At the present, the municipal

hall is overcrowded due to the inadequate number of offices and waiting areas. The lack

of support facilities and poorly developed sanitary facilities are also observed. The

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steep terrain of the site has very much affected the orientation of the building and

parking areas became limited. Oftentimes, the roadways were being used as parking

spaces for both employees and the public going to the site. During town fiesta, instead

of an event center the local government utilizes the Imelda National High School’s open

and covered court to cater events such as art contest, dance contest, and other

community events. According to the Municipal and Planning Development Office of

Imelda, there is an utmost need of a new municipal hall due to the current situation of

the municipal building and the fast growing economy of the said municipality. The

current municipal hall could serve the public but not as suitable and accessible for every

Imeldahanon especially for the physically-challenged.

Government buildings play same role which prime purpose is to serve and influence

the public, aims for the betterment of the country either regional, provincial, municipal

or barangay governance. A municipal hall symbolizes democracy, it resonates

community’s culture and values. However, these aspects could hardly be reflected to the

municipal hall of Imelda. In order to draft an iconic image of a municipal hall that

serves a public purpose in the municipality of Imelda, the researcher proposes a new

municipal hall and civic center; a building typology that represents civic pride.

Moreover, through this project, the local government unit of Imelda will be able to

execute its power in accelerating economic development and upgrading the quality of

life for the people at its fullest extent. Lastly, aside from proposing a municipal hall and

civic center for the municipality of Imelda, architecture will be used as the main

catalyst in attaining the most suitable formula for a much efficient and effective public

service and a stand out rural community.

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b. Statement of the Problem

In what way could architecture help to improve the quality of life of the

Imeldahanons? If municipal halls play a vital role for the community so why shouldn’t

the building represent the municipality?

At the present, the municipal hall is overcrowded due to the inadequate number of

offices and waiting areas. The lack of support facilities and poorly developed sanitary

facilities are also observed. Situated at a hilltop, provided with only one narrow access

road, the municipal hall is relatively inaccessible for the public and is prone to natural

phenomenon specifically soil erosion. The municipal mayor agreed: “The decades-old

municipal hall is cramped, deteriorated, and outdated’’ (Silva, 2021). Furthermore;

considering the municipality’s growing economy, the current site is not ideal for such

project as it limits future expansion. These statements only invoke that there is an

uttermost need of a new municipal hall for the municipality of Imelda. In line with this,

the research also aims to formulate the most suitable architectural solution that

addresses the needs of an ideal civic center for a stand out rural community.

c. Project Objectives

The project is primarily aimed at improving the quality of life of the Imeldahanons

and resolving the current issues of the existing municipal by proposing a new municipal

hall and civic spaces that will benefit both the government employees and the public.

The proposed Municipal Hall and Civic Center also aims to be the ideal government

center in the province and the region.

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d. Architectural Objectives

1. To design a municipal hall with workable and adequate spaces that leads to

maximum productivity for both employees and the public.

Strategies:

a. To determine proper and strategical allocation of space in order to provide

sufficient office spaces and working areas.

b. To provide a fully-equipped and properly planned municipal building that

influences workability.

2. To introduce an effective civic center with functional areas to cater community

events and gatherings; and will serve as the main public space for the municipality

of Imelda.

Strategies:

a. To design flexible multi-purpose halls and open spaces for recreations,

trade shows and exhibits.

b. To provide parks and playgrounds for the local community and the visiting

public that will serve as a place to share quality time with.

e. Significance of the Study

The Municipal Hall will play a significant role in accelerating the economic

development of the municipality and upgrading the quality of life of the

Imeldahananons.

The researcher had this vision to support and explore applicable ideas through this

study, with regards to the plan of the municipal council of developing a new image of a

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municipal hall for Imelda. Significantly, the study will benefit the employees, the

municipal council, and the general public. This project will surely serve and bring

comfort to all of its users by way of having a suitable and accessible location and

making the services of the fully-equipped municipal hall more convenient and easily

attainable.

f. Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study is primarily aimed and focused on investigating and analyzing the issues

and predicaments of the current municipal hall being covered in this research. The study

will also explore information and design strategies with regards to existing municipal

halls from both local and foreign vantage point. Other factors covered in this study

include surveying for the identification of the appropriate site, conducting

investigations with representatives of the Municipal and Planning Development Office,

and surveys on the interests of the locals.

Although the study has partly reached its aims, there were some constraints being

encountered as follows: insufficient information and technical data being provided by

the municipality as basis to further support the study; the pandemic has very much

affected the time factor especially in gathering more data to assist the overall context of

the proposal.

g. Definition of Terms

1. Province – refers to the highest level of local government governed by a governor

as its executive and the sangguniang panlalawigan as legislature.

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2. Municipality – refers to the next level of local government in the Philippines

governed by a municipal mayor as its executive and sangguniang bayan as its

legislature.

3. Barangay – smallest local government unit governed by a barangay captain as

executive and sangguniang barangay as legislature.

4. Imedahanon/s – refers to a person residing in the municipality of Imelda.

5. Poblacion – is the common term used for the administrative center, central,

downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippine city or

municipality, which may take up the area of a single barangay or multiple

barangays.

6. Municipal mayor – refers to the official elected or appointed to act as chief

executive of a municipality.

7. Local Government Unit (LGU) – refers to local government units that may

either be the local governments of highly urbanized cities, provinces, cities, and/or

municipalities.

 Section 15 of Republic Act 7160, otherwise known as the Local

Government Code, defines a local government unit as a body politic

and corporate endowed with powers to be exercised by it in conformity

with law.

 As such, it performs dual functions, governmental and proprietary.

Governmental functions are those that concern health, safety, and the

advancement of the public good or welfare as affecting the public

generally. Proprietary functions are those that seek to obtain special

corporate benefits or earn pecuniary profit and intended for private

advantage and benefits. When exercising governmental duties, an LGU

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is an agency of the national government. When engaged in corporate

activities, it acts as an agent of the community in the administration of

local affairs.

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