City Councilor Edgar Ibuyan,Jr. announced that the Agdao public market is undergoing study into a major development and modernization project under the Public-Private Partnership set-up.
Ibuyan chairs the committee on games and amusements and government enterprises and the head of privatization.
Without giving names, Ibuyan said a pair of companies has expressed interest in modernizing the public market by making it air-conditioned coupled with the building of dampa or nipa huts where the customers could cook their fresh pamalengke and eat them there.
He said the two companies are the ones who developed the Robinson’s market.
“So far, Agdao market has been their target since there are areas there na wala magamit and that could be utilized for parking space or other opportunities,” said Ibuyan.
He said that if the project will be approved, the developers guaranteed that the rental price of the spaces in the public market would still be the same, viable for vendors and the city government.
“The developers said that they would be the ones who will find ways to recover their investment. They do not solely profit from the rental. There are other ways to return their investment like advertisements in their building,” added Ibuyan.
The said project has been approved during their first committee hearing and will be presented to the PPP board this this year. Hopefully, if the presentation will be favored by the PPP board, it will be recommended for the approval of the city mayor and then to the councilor’s session for second reading.
