The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed a new 3-storey building facility for the Philippine Army within the Camp O’ Donnell in Capas, Tarlac.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said the P117-million Army Leadership Development and Education Center (ALDEC) Phase I building is now ready for use by the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) of the Philippine Army.
Villar, together with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, DPWH Senior Undersecretary Rafael Yabut, and TRADOC Commander Major General Cornelio Valencia Jr., led the inauguration and handover ceremony of the ALDEC Building.
The event was also attended by key officials from the Philippine Army and the DPWH Regional Office 3 headed by Regional Director Roseller Tolentino.
“The new building will serve as a learning facility of the Philippine Army as it fulfills its mission of training and educating army forces to strengthen land warfare competencies,” the public works chief stressed.
The completed project was funded under General Appropriations Act 2020.
The completed project, funded under General Appropriations Act 2020 and implemented by the DPWH Region 3 Construction Division, is intended as a venue for the conduct of training on leadership, development and education and will also house offices and a multi-purpose hall.
The building is equipped with a generator set and a water tank.
Other than the ALDEC Building, the DPWH also completed other infrastructure at Camp O’Donnell to support TRADOC’s program for strengthening the skills and capabilities of the military.
This was done in partnership with the Department of National Defense – Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND-AFP) under the Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS) Program.
The new building has a training pool, classrooms and a mess hall for the School for Candidate Soldier, and an Army Transient Facility.
The public works head said that the Tarlac 2nd District Engineering Office, which started to implement projects for TRADOC in 2019, has completed the training pool, classrooms and a mess hall for the School for Candidate Soldier (SCS), and an Army Transient Facility (ATF).
“In 2020, the second phase of the concreting of TRADOC Road Networks was completed as additional funds amounting to P15 million was released to ensure that the upgrading of the entirety of the road networks would be achieved,” he added.
Strict compliance with the health and safety protocols was observed during the project inauguration and handover event.