In formally opening the doors of the new Operation Kahusay Og Kalinaw (OKK) Center to the public, Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando ‘Klarex’ Uy said they hope it can serve to connect City Hall to those in need of their services.

 

In his message during Friday’s blessing of the OKK center at Magsaysay Park in Divisoria, Mayor Klarex said improvements were made to ensure accessibility by the elderly and the young to the facility.

‘We lowered the OKK center (site) so the elderly and the young can easily access the facility…we will add more (as the OKK center) is part of Phase 4 of the Divisoria Redevelopment,’ Mayor Klarex said in Visayan.

Mayor Klarex referred to the Divisoria Redevelopment phase of Project Lunhaw, an urban design partnership project between City Hall and the United Nations (UN)-Habitat’s Building Climate Resiliency Through Urban Plans and Designs (BCRUPD).

 

In his message, Project Lunhaw consultant Patrick Gabutina said the OKK center is part of the changes to be made in Divisoria. ‘Even if a place is safe, we should make it visibly safe…that’s why the OKK center is built so that people can have some place to run to when they need assistance,’ Gabutina said.

 

To augment security in Divisoria, Mayor Klarex said closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras will be installed while piped-in music will be set up to entertain visitors to the OKK center and Divisoria area.

Both Mayor Klarex and Gabutina also made reference to the cutting of some aging mahogany trees with Mayor Klarex acknowledging the criticism voiced by those who opposed the cutting of these trees.

‘I’m apologizing to those who criticized my decision to cut down some mahogany trees…but even you saw how those trees posed a danger to the safety of people and their vehicles,’ Mayor Klarex said in Visayan.

Mayor Klarex also said he consulted with the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) which then sought permission from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to cut down the aging mahogany trees.

 

Both Mayor Klarex and Gabutina confirmed that they will plant trees endemic to the city to replace those that were cut down.

 

Aside from Police Precinct 1 of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO), the new OKK center will also house personnel of the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA), the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Cagayan de Oro station and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Department (CDRRMD).

 

Mayor Klarex also confirmed that the Office of Civil Defense (OCD-10) regional office will also provide training to them in disaster preparedness.

‘I’m calling on all City Hall department managers to join the training so that all of us can better serve the public during emergency situations and in times of calamities. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)