Rehabilitation of Maharlika basement to take 6 months

The city government said that the proposed rehabilitation of the burned basement of the Maharlika Livelihood Center will take at least six months and city officials are seeking the understanding of the affected stallholders to allow the city to immediately implement the project.

City Budget Officer Leticia O. Clemente, who is also the chairperson of the Maharlika Livelihood Center Transition Committee, said that, according to the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), the rehabilitation project will take at least four months but the bidding process to ascertain the contractor that will implement the project will take at least two months.

However, she claimed that the task force is looking into possible ways by which to immediately implement the rehabilitation of the Maharlika basement to shorten the 6-month period so that the affected stallholders can go back to their operations and start recovering their businesses.

The city budget officer expressed her gratitude to the members of the city council for immediately approving the proposed PhP27 million for the rehabilitation works.

Among the proposed works to be done in the area are the overhaul of the electrical system to conform with the prescribed standards pursuant to the Philippine Electrical Code and the National Building Code, the establishment of the cistern, painting and other related works that will significantly improve the facility.

The Maharlika basement sustained enormous damage from a 10-hour fire caused by electrical problems that affected dozens of stallholders and rendered the whole portion of the center no longer suitable for business operations.

The fire started shortly after 9 pm of September 6, 2025 and was declared fire out at around 5 pm of September 7, 2025. – Dexter A. See