ILOILO City – The coronavirus disease pandemic won’t be able to derail the city government’s multimillion-peso projects through public-private partnership (PPP).
The privatization of the city’s major markets, the rehabilitation of the slaughterhouse and construction of a waste-to-energy facility are in the works, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas.
“Sige-sigehon ta ‘ni para nga ang investments sige man gihapon diri sa city,” he stressed.
The mayor yesterday had a virtual meeting with representatives of PPP Center.
They discussed updates on the proposed improvements of the slaughterhouse in Barangay Tacas, Jaro district, which may go ahead of the other projects.
“Ang slaughterhouse daw madasig–dasig sya kay mahapos ang ila nga mga studies. May ara nga mga interesado nga investors. Sa tanan ta nga projects, siguro amo ‘ni ang mauna,” said Treñas.
The redevelopment of the Iloilo Central Market and Iloilo Terminal Market, on the other hand, still needs a study each, according to the mayor.
As to the waste-to-energy facility, Treñas said the parameters for unsolicited proposals were being prepared.
For the meantime, Treñas said, the city will forward to the PPP Center the city’s PPP ordinance for their study and recommendation relative to a proposed reclamation project.
“We know nga limited kaayo ang duta diri sa Iloilo, amo na nga kon madugang-dugangan, siguro we will be able to attract more investments,” said Treñas.
The city mayor said they will be discussing updates regarding these proposed PPP projects regularly or every month.
Last year, the city government entered into a memorandum of agreement with the PPP Center for three priority undertakings.
The PPP Center espouses the PPP scheme – a contractual agreement between the government and a private firm targeted towards financing, designing, implementing, and operating infrastructure facilities and services traditionally provided by the public sector.
This scheme, said Treñas, frees a portion of the city government’s budget for social projects beneficial to the people.
“We need to enter into PPP because it will sustain revenues for the city government,” Treñas previously said.
The PPP Center will also look into the rehabilitation and upgrading of public markets particularly bundling of big and small ones.
Improving the slaughterhouse is one of Treñas’ priorities. As early as August last year, there were already eight interested parties.
The city-run slaughterhouse failed to get any rating or classification – A, AA or AAA – from the National Meat Inspection Service, a specialized regulatory agency of the Department of Agriculture that is the country’s sole controlling authority on all matters pertaining to meat inspection and hygiene.
Meat from an unrated slaughterhouse may have adverse effects on the local economy, warned Agriculture assistant secretary for Visayas Hansel Didulo in a previous interview.
An A classification means meat from the slaughterhouse can be transported within the city only while an AA classification means the meat can be transported outside the city.
An AAA classification, on the other hand, means the meat from the slaughterhouse is safe enough to be shipped abroad.
The slaughterhouse was constructed and became operational in the later part of 2007 when Treñas was mayor. It deteriorated through the years./PN
