ILOILO City – The city government’s Local Economic and Enterprise Office (LEEO) plans to rehabilitate the Iloilo Terminal Market, popularly known as “Super.” It hopes to secure funding from the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
KOICA funded the recently launched P11.8-million Panay Local Food Center and Terminal located in San Miguel, Iloilo – the third part of the three-phase 2015 Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Project (PIUSRDP) of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“Hopefully the city could also avail itself of a grant from KOICA,” said LEEO chief Ariel Castañeda.
He is attending a meeting of DA Region 6 today and tomorrow and is hopeful of securing support for the plan.
“The city would have been included in PIUSRDP’s third phase but somebody told KOICA the city markets did not need any help,” said Castañeda without giving more details.
This time, he said, the city government would actively seek KOICA’s assistance.
Aside from the Iloilo Terminal Market, there are two more public markets in the city where agricultural producers such as rice farmers would deliver their produce, said Castañeda. These are the La Paz and Jaro markets.
Meanwhile, according to Castañeda, the Panay Local Food Center and Terminal located in San Miguel, Iloilo won’t adversely affect the operation or revenues of the city’s public markets, especially the Iloilo Terminal Market.
The bulk of farm produce delivered to the food terminal would still be bought by local suppliers for selling to the city’s markets, he said./PN
