‘Some city public markets should be demolished’

AN official of the Iloilo City Engineer’s Office (CEO) claimed that three public markets in Iloilo City are not feasible for rehabilitation.

In a committee hearing on August 17, 2018, Assistant City Engineer Karl Quimsing told the City Council that the Iloilo Central Market, La Paz Public Market, and Iloilo Terminal Market must be demolished to give way to more modern markets.

“Ang pag-rehabilitate sang market, we can do so much but ang Terminal Market hindi na siya pwede ma-rehab because maunahan na siya sang modernization sa palibot niya. It needs to be totally knocked down. Likewise amo man na ang Central and Lapaz Market. Ang drainage indi appropriate sa subong kag wala na gid tsansa,” Quimsing said.

The committee hearing in aid of legislation was conducted following calls for a legislative inquiry into the current state of public markets and the city slaughterhouse.

According to Councilor Armand Parcon, “Our public markets are neglected. They have ramshackle facilities, faulty drainage, damaged cubicles, and delayed collection of garbage.”

Meanwhile, Jose Ariel Castañeda, Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) head explained to the council the performances of the top three public markets in the city.

Castañeda said that in 2017, Iloilo Terminal Market generated a gross revenue of P24 million and earned P8 million. The Central Market earned P2.9 million and the La Paz Market, P1.5 million.

In terms of rehabilitation, Castañeda said they are working on the business plans for the markets.

“We came up with a 3-year business plan wherein the office has no business plan to start with for revenue generation and organizational business plan. But to each market, there is a specific business plan and they are aware of their individual targets as well as their (revenue) targets with the city treasurer’s office,” he said.

Castañeda said that he proposed to rehabilitate Iloilo Terminal Market (with a gym and a parking lot) during the term of former mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog.

The rehabilitation works will cost around P800 million to P billion, he added.

In 2015, public markets redevelopment was one of the proposals of Mabilog to investors under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode.

In the same year, the Iloilo Central Market was subjected to a joint venture revitalization project with the SM group wherein the public market will be demolished and converted into a four-story complex.

But it sparked rallies and confrontations between pro- and anti-PPP parties because some stakeholders saw the project as a form of “privatization.”

Councilor Armand Parcon said that the LEEO should have short and doable plans, stressing that he already told Castañeda to prepare their budget plan for the markets to be included in the budget preparation.

Councilor R Leone Gerochi advised Castañeda to come up with a business plan with individual market revenues, individual market operating expenses, and personal salary for each market with the breakdown of salary charges.

“Ang LEEO hindi na ya charitable nga project, it should be ran like a business. Don’t give us assurances, give us something that we can see and come up with a business plan,” said Gerochi.

Castañeda assured that they would be able to submit the market business plans as soon as possible.

“I assure you that market modernization is part of the business plan. The immediate plan is to make a master plan for the markets so that whoever sits as mayor or councilors, they will just have to refer the repair and rehab of the market to the master plan,” Castañeda said.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian