Photo Release

20 Years in the Making: Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III expresses exasperation over the “slow moving” construction of the Cagayan de Oro Convention Center, which was conceptualized by his late father and namesake former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. in 1998. While the Pyramids of Egypt were constructed in 18 years with no modern tools, Pimentel said the construction of the convention center, which started in 2001, is not done until now. The senator said the completion of the convention center is no longer for the person who visualized it, who is already dead, but for the people of the province. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar shared Pimentel’s frustration and assured the senator that he would try to find out what happened to the project. "Which is worst? Twenty years in the planning of the project or 20 years in the construction of the project?” Pimentel asked during the Finance Subcommittee A virtual hearing Wednesday, October 14, 2020, on the proposed 2021 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)