Mayor Rivera accelerates city's development with PPP

By IAN JOHN M. LAGARE

GENERAL SANTOS CITY (17 July 2014)  - The local government unit of General Santos City has partnered with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center for the development of the city as the trade hub of the region.

On Tuesday (July 15) at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), City Mayor Ronnel Rivera, Vice Mayor Shirlyn Bañas-Nograles, and PPP Center representative Atty. Sherry Ann Austria signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that will help LGU-GSC in engaging PPPs, specifically on agri-industrial projects.

The MOA, known as the "Integrated Economic Development of Regional Trade in General Santos City", is an approved project supported by SP Resolution 535 that aims to expedite the development of the city's agri-industrial sector.

In this agreement, the PPP Center will provide assistance to the local government in fast tracking the implementation of PPP projects and programs. This involves the provision of technical assistance, trainings, and capacity development to LGU-GSC.

An Internship Program Strategy will also be employed by the PPP Center in training specific LGU-GSC departments so that they will learn the technicalities in implementing PPP programs in the city.

PPP Center is an attached agency of the National Economic and Development Authority.

"One of the problems in implementing PPPs here in the city is that no one has the exact knowledge on how to do it. This assistance coming from the PPP Center will be a great help so that we, in the local government, can finally engage knowledgeably in such ventures," Mayor Rivera said.

The mayor also stressed the importance of PPP in the development of the city.

"There is a need for us to adopt PPP projects and initiatives in the city. We don't operate with an unlimited budget; that is the reason why we have to find ways to develop the city, and for now, engaging in a PPP would be beneficial," the mayor pointed out. 

A Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) on the Integrated Economic Development for Regional Trade in General Santos City was already commissioned by the Cities Development Initiatives for Asia (CDIA) in response to the request of LGU-GSC to pre-assess the economic situation of the city.

The city mayor targets to have linkage with private entities for the construction of an Integrated Food Terminal (IFT), as well as the development of farm-to-market roads, support facilities and the refurbishment of the General Santos City Public Market.

"Our goal here is to make Gensan as the Agri-Industrial hub of Region 12. In doing so, we also want to give opportunities to small enterprises as well as open employment to the constituents of the city," Mayor Rivera surmised. 

Finally, the mayor clarified that engaging in PPP is not a step towards privatization.

"All of these facilities are still owned by the public even though we enter in PPP projects. We just ask help from the private companies to assist us, but it doesn't mean that they will assume ownership. It is a given consensus between them and us," Mayor Rivera affirmed.  (GENSAN CPIO/ Ian John M. Lagare)