GENERAL SANTOS CITY — This city, in partnership with the management of Robinsons Land Corporation, will be constructing a modern public market, locally known as "mallengke."
Village chief Ana Marie Laurente-Boga of Barangay Mabuhay said that it would be the first modernized public market in the city.
Boga said that the city has conducted a series of public consultation together with the technical working group through a public-private partnership (PPP) project undertakings.
The management of the Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) had already established a mall in GenSan and has decided to invest in the project that has budget of P2.3 billion.
RLC engaged in a PPP Mallengke project with the city government under build-operate-transfer scheme as it assured that the current various stall owners of the General Santos City Public Market will not be displaced and will be given the priority for the stall accommodation once the project is done.
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"Once the Mallengke is established, the marketgoers will have a cleaner and convenient place to buy their basic daily needs and the city government will generate more income from the project," said Boga.
It can be recalled that the previous administration of former city mayor Ronnel Rivera had also pushed for a P1.2 billion modernized mallengke that would have facelifted the current status of the General Santos City Public Market.
The former city councilor even argued that the funds supposed to be used in the planned 3-story modernized mallengke would be carved out of the P1.9 billion proposed loan from Landbank of the Philippines.
The proposed modernized mallengke will be a three-story building with a mezzanine and roof deck parking and air-conditioned wet and dry market sections.