President Rodrigo Duterte led the inauguration of the New Head Office Building of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) in Barangay Ugong, Pasig City, marking a historic milestone for the agency.
Duterte and MMDA Chairman Attorney Romando Artes unveiled the building marker, together with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senator Bong Go.
Artes said the New Head Office Building is a manifestation of its commitment to strengthen the organization and provide better services to its clientele.
“We started with an idea, and now we stand in the actual building of our lifetime dream.”
“We started with an idea, and now we stand in the actual building of our lifetime dream – a state-of-the-art government facility, catering to the needs of our employees as well as the clients and partners of Metro Manila. We now have a safe, structurally sound, sustainable, and productive headquarters we can call home,” the traffic chief said in his message.
The New MMDA Head Office Building features facilities that would accommodate the different services and functions of the agency. It also has special features such as a centralized data system, upgraded Metrobase Operations Center, and MMDA Corporate Auditorium.
“With this New MMDA Head Office Building, we intend to provide convenience to our stakeholders and ensure effective delivery of our services.”
“With this New MMDA Head Office Building, we intend to provide convenience to our stakeholders and ensure effective delivery of our services,” the traffic head added.
The 20-storey New MMDA Head Office Building, with roof deck and helipad, will be certified by the Building for Ecologically Responsive Design Excellence (BERDE) with a one-star accreditation. BERDE is a tool to assess, measure, monitor, and certify the performance of green building projects.
The conception of the New MMDA Head Office Building started during the time of the late Chairman Danilo Lim in 2018, through the collaboration with the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP)-Makati Chapter, by holding a national design competition for the facility with the theme: “MMDA moving towards a sustainable, resilient, dynamic, and people-centered metropolis”.
During the same year, a partnership was forged between the Authority and the Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) for the construction of the office. The winning conceptual design by Architect Daryl Van Abaygar, entitled “Solihiya Moderno” was used as an inspiration.
The “Solihiya Moderno” was influenced by the traditional home silhouette and “solihiya” weave pattern. The interlocking strands and fibers encapsulate the Bayanihan spirit of Filipinos which mirrors the aspirations of the MMDA as an instrument of collaboration for all Local Government Units (LGUs) of Metro Manila. The structure boasts of modern yet distinctly Filipino design.
Artes also expressed his gratitude to the RLC for being the agency’s partner in the actualization of the New MMDA Head Office Building.
Former agency chairmen, Metro Manila mayors, and agency officials attended the inauguration of the New MMDA Head Office Building.
MMDA employees will start moving into the New MMDA Head Office Building this year.
