City cannot afford to rehab markets

A TYPICAL scene at the fish section of the Iloilo Terminal Market in Iloilo City.

COUNCILOR Plaridel Nava said that Iloilo City is not financially capable to repair all public markets.

“It was already ventilated before that we cannot afford to repair all public markets from our funds even with the annual budget of P1.8 billion because there are other priority projects nga i-allocate naton ang kwarta such as salary and wages, services, health, sports, and other concerns,” Nava said.

This was Nava’s reaction to the resolution passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) on Sept 18, 2018, requesting the finance committee to allocate necessary funds for essential repairs to the Iloilo City public markets and abattoir.

Aside from generating revenues, the resolution stated that thousands of ordinary citizens depend on the services offered by the city’s public markets and abattoir, but it is “progressively deteriorating” since funds were only focused to other projects with lesser benefits to the public.

Also, with the huge annual executive budget of the city government, it can best respond to the basic needs of its constituents in all aspects of developments including the maintenance of its public markets and abattoir.

The SP recently conducted a series of investigations in aid of legislation on the sorry state of the city’s public markets and slaughterhouse.

During the investigation, stakeholders, government workers, officers, and representatives from various public market vendors association were in unison on the reasons for the woeful state of the markets and abattoir.

According to them, dilapidated facilities, leaking roofs, defective public toilets, faulty drainage system, unsanitary wet sections, stagnant waste water, lack of proper sectioning, and lack of cooperation among market personnel and vendors led to the sorrowful state of public markets and abattoir.

The proponent of the resolution, Councilor Armand Parcon, clarified that they are not imposing and putting the burden on Mayor Jose Espinosa III.

“The mayor has its own prerogative regarding the amount of budget that he plans to allocate on every projects that he opted to prioritize. The resolution entails funds that are needed to address the present situation and depende kung ano ang ipauna sang mayor basta ang importante amat-amat  maaddress angproblem hindi pag pabay-an,” Parcon said.

Councilor Mandrie Malabor, chairman of the markets and slaughterhouse committee, reiterated that the city needs a big amount of money to repair the markets including the slaughterhouse.

“Let me emphasize na hindi kasarang ang budget sa city to repair the markets and slaughterhouse because hindi lang amo na ang priority although may ara gina appropriate nga fund sa markets around P5 or P6 million hindi na sufficient to repair the markets and the slaughterhouse,” Malabor stated.

Despite the increase on the revenue projection of the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO), the amount is still insufficient for the needed repairs, according to Malabor.

Based on the City Treasurer’s Office, the LEEO has target revenue of P75 million for 2018.

“There is a rehabilitation needed but cannot be financed by the LEEO because of limited revenue annually. Kung ma-maintain ta expenses as projected sa 2017 which is around 68 million, we can only have P5 million as a surplus every year which is insufficient for rehabilitation,” said LEEO head Jose Ariel Castañeda.

According to Castañeda, the surplus was used to pay the electrical expenses and debt as well as for the repairs of comfort rooms and roofing of Central and Terminal Market.

“Ang surplus gin-buhin bayad sa utang nga ginsalo naton from the past administration so less P3 million na ang utang and the rest gastuson sa repairs sa merkado and the rest will be spent on computerization and other office equipment such as tables and chairs,” Castañeda said.

But he reiterated that their office needs outside intervention and the help of Local Development Council and city government to fund the necessary rehabilitation.

“Kinahanglan outside intervention because it is a huge project. Hindi na kaya kung i-base lang sa aton annual revenue or income because of our limited capacity to generate revenue due to poor infrastructure and ordinance,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo noted that the draft budget for 2019 was already finished and will be submitted to the SP weeks from now.

This means that any fund requests for the proposed public market rehabilitation will have to wait until the 2020 Annual Budget is crafted.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

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