Council vows deep study on market rehab

By Jovi T. De Leon
Saturday, July 16, 2011
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Vice Mayor Edwin Santiago said the rehabilitation of the old public market as proposed in the last Annual Investment Plan meeting in Baguio City will have to be scrutinized before a “green and go.”
Santiago told Sun.Star Pampanga that it “was good to note Mayor Oscar Rodriguez himself proposed that the matter be taken into close scrutiny by the City Council.”
“You know, what is good about this is that the mayor himself had hinted for the rehabilitation of the old public market in the advent of big malls to make local vendors competitive. It’s as simple but nonetheless complicated as that,” Santiago said.
He said they are looking at things like straight loans and build-operate transfer schemes. “For one, we may not be able to put up the estimated P250 million to P300 million needed for its improvement like we see the need for parking floor levels to solve the problem. As against our resources, we have to work this out but it is very doable.”
It was Santiago himself who broached the idea and infused the “wisdom” of local entrepreneurs competing with big malls in this city, which he said was beyond control vis-à-vis developments.
“We cannot stop investors from pouring in. But what Mayor Oca has stressed, we need to assist small enterprises grow by offering wares not found in malls, developing eateries and tapping other sectors which would actually help small businessmen. We are hoping for a win-win solution,” Santiago said.
Both Markets and Enterprise chairman Noel Tulabut and Majority Floor Leader Alex Patio aired the same sentiments: “This would call for the creation of an expert technical working group. We are bent on improving the state of our local vendors to make them more competitive.”
The two officials said including the rehabilitation of the old public market in the AIP is one of the best proposals that will be taken up for this year.
“It’s about time,” Tulabut said.
Published in the Sun.Star Pampanga newspaper on July 17, 2011.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2011/07/16/council-vows-deep-study-market-rehab-167255