ILOILO City – For Sangguniang Panlungsod senior member Eduardo Peñaredondo, the rehabilitation of the Iloilo Central Market is long overdue.
He accused the president of the Association of Stall Owners and Transient Vendors of Iloilo City Public Market (ASTRAVEN) of blocking the city government’s efforts to improve the market.
“The market’s rehabilitation is long overdue. The city government previously proposed a redevelopment with no cash out from the city’s coffers. It did not push through because of the opposition led by Mr. Rex Donasco,” said Peñaredondo yesterday.
The councilor was referring to the Central Business District revitalization project – that included the Iloilo Central Market – in 2014. Then mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog wanted to tap a giant developer which was into retail, malls, markets, and real estate to do the redevelopment.
The Donasco-led ASTRAVEN opposed Mabilog’s plan for fear that market fees could skyrocket if the central market’s management would be turned over to this private developer.
Yesterday, Donasco again rejected a new plan to rehabilitate the central market, this time by the administration of Mayor Jose Espinosa III.
“Mabalabag gid kami,” Donasco said, calling Espinosa’s plan too ambitious.
BETTER CENTRAL MARKET
On Monday, City Administrator Hernando Galvez bared a P866.972-million central market redevelopment plan to make it “attract more clients, including tourists, thereby generating more revenues and jobs.”
The plan included new market features such delivery bays, a park, souvenir shops, a power house, loading and unloading area, among others.
Galvez assured market vendors the Iloilo Central Market won’t be privatized. Existing stall holders and transients won’t be displaced, he stressed.
There would be no increase in market fees, too.
COOPERATION NEEDED
Peñaredondo appealed for the public’s cooperation to realize the market rehabilitation, most especially from the market vendors and stall owners.
“This is for their own good, tapos sabotahehon ka da,” said Peñaredondo.
Donasco agreed that the central market needed rehabilitation but stressed the look of the market should be retained, citing its being a heritage structure.
“Gusto namon ipakay-o as is. The central market is a heritage market. If you change the structure of the central market to look not like a public market, ang mga balikbayan malingin ulo nila. Diin ang central market? Are we in Megaworld?” he said.
He described the proposed rehabilitation plan as “masyado ka daku” and “too ambitious.”
Market vendors should have been consulted, he added.
Peñaredondo said had Mabilog’s plan for the Iloilo Central market materialized, by now it would have been free from the problems it is suffering such as leaking roofs, overcrowding, traffic congestion, illegal parking, lack of water supply, flooding, poor drainage, insufficient lighting, poor sanitation and ventilation, among others.
Peñaredondo stressed the importance of political will to introduce improvements to the central market.
“We have a sad experience during the time of Mayor Jed. Waay nadayon ang rehab sang central market just because ang ila presidente wala nagkomporme, nag-file sang kaso. Ti nag isol ang SM,” he said./PN
