BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan ordered the concerned offices of the local government to send a final demand to the management of Uniwide Realty and Sales Development Corporation whether or not the company is still interested to pursue the long overdue development of the city public market.
The local chief executive pointed out the city needs to clarify from Uniwide its interest to pursue the city public market development amidst the company’s insolvency issue pending appeal with the Court of Appeals (CA).
Previously, Uniwide signified its intention to undertake the city’s market development project after the Supreme Court (SC) declared the constitutionality of the city’s market ordinance and the validity of the market development contract entered by the local government and the company sometime in August 1996.
“We are sending our final demand to Uniwide to ascertain its capacity to pursue the market development project as input into our decisions in the coming months. Our market really needs the appropriate development to be at par with the market facilities of other major cities and first-class towns in the north,” Domogan stressed.
He said the local government must ascertain whether or not it is legal for Uniwide to partner with corporations in the city public market development amidst the pending issue on insolvency of which the company appealed the ruling of a lower court to the CA.
According to him, the city’s public market is left out in terms of development by similar market facilities of other major cities and first-class municipalities in the north.
He underscored the importance of a well-developed public market as the city’s show window, being the most frequented area of the city by residents and visitors.
Earlier, the local legislative body created a committee to study the best option in developing the city pubic market.
Domogan claimed that the delayed development of the public market for over two decades resulted to enormous losses on the part of the local government, especially in providing legitimate vendors with the improved spaces and the public with spacious areas to transact business beneficial in instilling order inside the city’s premier market facility.
He is optimistic Uniwide management will immediately respond to the final demand of the local government so that officials can plan the next steps towards the long overdue development of the market facility to serve as a showcase of a developed market within a highly urbanized city.
Uniwide was the lone complying bidder when the local government conducted the bidding for the P1.7 billion public market development project but concerned vendors questioned the constitutionality of the market development ordinance and the validity of the subsequent contract that was signed between the developer and the city. /By Dexter A. See
