LAOAG CITY – Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta on Friday led the groundbreaking of the Laoag City Hall of Justice at the lot owned by the provincial government of Ilocos Norte in Barangay 2.
In an interview with reporters, Peralta, a native of the city, said he looks forward to the construction of the building, which he said would fulfill his promise for all court workers to have a comfortable place of work.
“I have already accomplished many things and implemented what I wanted to happen in the Judiciary. This is what I promised before. I hope the new building will further inspire the people of Ilocos Norte especially our court employees, lawyers, prosecutors, and judges to serve with efficiency and integrity,” Peralta said in the vernacular.
Peralta, who will retire from the service upon turning 69 on March 27, said he will spend his retirement days in his hometown and spend more time with his aging mom.
Though the amount for the construction of the new building was yet to be disclosed, Peralta assured the new building’s architectural design will be of equal beauty if not better than the old one.
In 2013, members of the then Sangguniang Panlalawigan has authorized then-Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos to donate a 3,000-square-meter lot in the city for the transfer of the old Marcos Hall of Justice to a new site.
Three years later, the official donation was accepted by the Supreme Court which paved the way for the approval of the budget during Peralta’s term.
Since then, Ilocos Norte court workers occupying the old building had hoped that the new building will be built soon.
Located at the heart of the city or just beside the Laoag Aurora Park, the Marcos Hall of Justice, which houses various Regional Trial Court branches and prosecutors’ offices, has not been repaired for many years.
It also lacks parking space, prompting court workers and visitors to roam around looking for safe parking. (PNA)
