TACLOBAN CITY – Mayor Eduardo “Boy” Ong said that he is planning to construct a new and better public market for his town. The planned public market will be constructed before the year is over with a budget of P11 million taken from its own source, Ong said. According to him, the new wet market will have a 1,000 square meter area and is to be located just near the wharf which is facing the Carigara Bay. During the onslaught of supertyphoon Yolanda, the town’s public market sustained damages. In 2012, the facility also suffered damages after a tornado hit it. Ong said that existing public market, where the fish and meat vendors are located, is already congested and has become ‘inconvenient’ for market goers. “What we plan to do is construct another wet market with a bigger and better space for our vendors,” he said. The existing public market was constructed in 2010.
The construction of the new public market is expected to start within the year to be undertaken without any bank loans. Mayor Ong said that the local government may not afford another loan as it is still paying an existing loan with Land Bank of the Philippines for the construction of market complex and terminal until 2017.
Economic activity in the town has been noted to be upbeat with new businesses locating after Yolanda in November 2013. New businesses included a gasoline station, grocery stores and a government-run bank. A multi-million hardware is also setting up its business in the area. (AHLETTE REYES)
