ATOK, Benguet – Development projects are starting to flourish in the municipality with the ongoing construction of a five-storey market building that will serve as the one-stop commercial center to promote the products of micro, small and medium enterprises said that the local government will bankroll the implementation of the said project which will be through a multi-year appropriation because of the limited funds considering the town’s status as one of the lower class municipalities in the province.
“We have to put up a market building that will serve as the town’s one-stop commercial center because of our increasing tourist arrivals. We want to showcase our local products to provide a significant impact to our economy,” Mayor Smith stressed.
The local chief executive added that the local government earmarked some P15 million from its annual budget for this year to jumpstart the construction of the market structure where its first and second floors will serve as the common parking area, the third and fourth floors will be the commercial center and the fifth floor will be the multipurpose gymnasium where various crowd drawing events will be conducted.
He claimed that the ongoing works in the proposed building include the laying of the foundation and possibly the construction of the first and second floors depending on the works that will be covered by the initially appropriated amount for the project.
Mayor Smith expressed the local government’s gratitude to Rep. Eric Yap for committing his support in sourcing out supplemental funds to help in speeding up the completion of the market building so that it will be operational the soonest for the benefit of local entrepreneurs who will be situated in the commercial spaces that will be allotted to them to sustain their respective businesses.
Initially, the local government demolished the old market structure which will house portions of the new market building while the remaining structure will be demolished in the future to interconnect the proposed 5-storey structure.
The mayor pointed out that the local government will try to make the necessary representations with concerned government agencies for possible assistance to facilitate the immediate completion of the proposed market building that will serve as the town’s show window for visitors who are frequenting the municipality patronizing the different scenic agri-tourist destinations that have emerged through the years.
“We need to provide our visitors with worthwhile experiences while in the municipality through our new market that we hope to roll out in the future. We will do our best to convince possible supporters to help in the realization of our endeavor” Smith said.
Atok has blossomed into one of the preferred tourist destinations in the province playing host to numerous agri-tourist destinations aside from its natural pull of its cool weather condition where its temperature usually drops to near zero degrees Celsius every November to March.
He stipulated that it is also important for the local government to ensure available parking spaces for visitors that frequent the municipality for them to be able to patronize local products that will be housed in the town’s proposed commercial center. By Dexter A. See