ITOGON, Benguet – Residents from the various barangays will no longer go to nearby Baguio to buy their basic needs once the proposed public market will be constructed by the local government in partnership with concerned government agencies.
Mayor Bernard S. Waclin said that the local government is awaiting the documents from the owner of the property ceding portions of the same to the municipality purposely for the proposed public market.
He added that the proposed public market will be established in barangay Gumatdang which is accessible by residents from other neighboring barangays.
The local chief executive claimed that the municipal government will provide the initial funding for the construction of the proposed public market building while the balance will be sourced out from other government agencies like the Office of Benguet Rep. Eric Yap among others.
According to him, the local government will continue to work on the realization of high impact development projects such as the put up of a public market building so that there will be increased economic activities and sources of livelihood of the people.
Mayor Waclin stipulated that the town’s public market will also be used to promote the various agricultural products being produced by agriculture industry stakeholders and the micro-small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
He emphasized that the local government will be working on the proposed high impact projects one at a time so that it will not be a burden to the town’s meager resources aside from establishing partnerships with concerned government agencies for the realization of the said projects.
Itogon is one of the five first class towns that heavily rely on mining as its major source of income because of the present operation of large-scale mining companies and a registered Minahang Bayan in barangay Luacan catering to small-scale miners.
Earlier, the municipal government was able to establish its 12-bed hemodialysis center in sitio Malasin, barangay Ucab which is the first big ticket project of the municipality that was realized during the term of the present administration of Mayor Waclin.
The operation of the dialysis center is a product of the combined efforts of the local government and its private partners such as the Metro Church of God International (MGCI), the San Roque Power Corporation, SN Aboitiz Power Benguet and the Itogon Suyoc Resources, Inc. By Dexter A. See
