ILOILO City – The city government plans a P866.972-million redevelopment of the Iloilo Central Market.
The goal is to make it “attract more clients, including tourists, thereby generating more revenues and jobs,” said City Administrator Hernando Galvez yesterday.
Galvez held a consultative meeting yesterday at the Jubilee Hall on Mabini Street, City Proper. It was attended by market vendors, city hall officials and representatives of various government agencies.
The city government identified several problems at the central market. These were the following:
* deteriorating heritage building, disorder, traffic congestion and illegal parking
* no water supply, insufficient lighting, poor sanitation and ventilation
* inadequate space for mobility
* deterioration of marketability and economy
* streets around the market used as public activity area (resulting to traffic congestion)
To address these, the following solutions were proposed:
* restoration/renovation of the heritage building
* provision of loading and unloading bays and parking areas
* proper space planning and introduction of social spaces
* provide multi-use facility
Galvez said the redevelopment could be done in phases so as to avoid a substantial displacement of vendors.
Phase 1 could be the restoration of the heritage building, said Galvez, while Phase 2 could cover the access road and six-level car park.
Galvez said Phase 3 may cover the main market area and a proposed two-storey multi-use building while Phase 4 would be for the envisioned Handumanan and park area.
Another phase could be for future expansion that may include five more levels at the multi-use building and three more levels to the car park, said Galvez.
The city government assured market vendors the Iloilo Central Market won’t be privatized. Existing stallholders and transients would not be displaced.
There would be no increase in market fees, too.
“Ang ini nga program dugay ta na ini nga ginbalay. Again, gusto ta ipabalo sa inyo nga wala sang private sector nga maga-intra diri. Iya lang ini sang gobyernno,” said Mayor Jose Espinosa III.
He hopes to start the market redevelopment next year should the city council approve it, said Espinosa.
Where will the city government get the funds? From the city’s coffers and assistance from concerned government agencies like the Department of Tourism and Department of Public Works and Highways, said Espinosa./PN
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Correction: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that stallholders and transient vendors will be displaced and market fees will be increased when the Iloilo Central Market is redeveloped. These have been corrected.
