BAGUIO CITY – The city government plans to put up a multi-storey satellite market building in barangay Gibraltar with a total project cost of at least P40 million to be implemented in two phases.
City Building official Engr. Nazita Bañez said the P10 million initial funding for the project comes from the annual budget of the local government this year while the balance of P30 million will come from the proposed annual budget of the city next year.
The city building official claimed the structure will include the required underground parking aside from the refurbished stalls, food court and multipurpose hall that will cater to the needs of residents and visitors in the said area to help decongest the city’s main market facility right at the central business district area.
The City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) official presented to the members of the City Council the perspective of the planned Gibraltar satellite market to be able to access the initial funds allocated for the project which is expected to start after the same shall have been bidded out by the local government.
Earlier, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong ordered the CBAO to come out with a common design for the satellite markets located in the different parts of the city that is culturally-inspired to serve as an added tourist attraction of the city.
The city government allowed SM Prime holdings to rehabilitate the existing San Vicente satellite market as a benchmark of other satellite markets that will be rehabilitated so that there will be uniformity in design.
One of the 15-core collective agenda of the local government is the establishment of a modernized markets, including improving the state of satellite markets located in the different parts of the city to help boost the local tourism industry and provide residents with alternative areas to purchase their needs.
Part of the suggestions and recommendations from stakeholders on how to decongest the central business district from the huge volume of pedestrian and vehicular traffic is the rehabilitation of existing satellite markets and the put-up of more satellite markets in strategic areas around the city to entice customers to patronize the same instead of converging in the city for their marketing chores.
The proposed rehabilitation of the Gibraltar satellite market is part of the overall efforts of the city government to continuously improve existing satellite markets in the different barangays to entice more people to do business in the said facilities and for residents to purchase their needs from the said markets so as not to crowd in the public market in the city.
Initially, the city government programmed a long-term rehabilitation and upgrading of the satellite markets in the different parts of the city considering the limited funds being earmarked for the implementation of priority development projects under the local development projects.
By Dexter A. See
