GENERAL SANTOS CITY (30 April 2015) – Mayor Ronnel Rivera announced on Tuesday (April 28) that the city government will be developing the old City Public Market.
During the 2nd Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME) Regional Congress press conference in Greenleaf Hotel, Mayor Rivera divulged that the plan to improve the public market is already in the pipeline.
He specified that there are two options he is looking at: first is to redevelop and refurbish the existing public market in Barangay Bula; and second, to relocate it to a new site.
Mayor Rivera said the most efficient way to redevelop the “obsolete” public market is through a Public – Private Partnership (PPP).
The mayor emphasized that aside from the local government, there should be a third-party partner that would manage, regulate, and maintain the public market for it to be properly preserved.
More than the financial cost for the renovation, “the greatest challenge” he said “is the maintenance.”
It is estimated that it would take more than P100 million for the development of the existing public market.
In July 2014, Mayor Rivera signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the PPP Center to train and equip the local government officials on managing PPP linkages.
Specifically, the PPP Center will capacitate the local government pursuing PPP linkages for the integrated food terminal and city public market components of the Integrated Economic Development for Regional Trade in General Santos City.
PPP Center is a devolved agency of the National Economic Development Authority.
On the other hand, Mayor Rivera also revealed that relocating the public market is also a viable option, given that there is an available area for it.
He bared that the Aurelio Family has donated a land to the local government located in Barangay Labangal. It is near the road going to Doña Soledad Subdivision.
“We will be conducting a study for the relocation of public market so that we will know how it will affect the economic flow and mobility of the city,” Mayor Rivera said.
“But of course, I am also compelled to construct multiple public markets on strategic areas to cater the growing population of the city,” the mayor added.
It is projected that by the next seven years or less, the population of Gensan will be close to 1 million due to factors like migration patterns and birth/death ratio.
In December 2014, it was stated by the World Wildlife Fund and Bank of the Philippine Islands Foundation Inc. that Gensan is “too attractive” due to its promising growth, and thus can cause the increase in the number of people from neighboring areas to move in to the city.
“If we cannot address this situation, we will be having problems in the near future. It is important that we should not look on the present alone; we have to find sustainable solutions to every problem that we have now,” the mayor said.
The 2nd MSME Regional Congress will be held May 5 – 6 in the city.
It is organized by the Small Medium Enterprises Development Council Inc. (SMEDCI) of Gensan headed by Rosanna Bernadette Contreras.
More than 1,000 participants from the entire Region 12, and possibly from outside SOCSKSARGEN, will be attending the congress. (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John Lagare)
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