Baguio City – Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong has signed the certificate of successful negotiation for SM Prime Holdings Incorporated, signaling progression to the next steps of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) process.
Magalong said the PPP market scheme faces many challenges with misinformation explaining “Ang pinaka malaking challenge dito ay ang mga kasinungalingan na kinakalat, for example it will be ung I privatized. Pangalawa eh yung paag itayao na eh bahala na kayo kujg saan kayo pwesto, hindi totoo yun, aayusin muna ang relocation site after that tsaka gagawin ang market. third is, nakinabang si Magalong dyn, we are following a process that is very transparent, wala po corruption na nangyari dito, we are following a process that is clearly spelled out by the PPP law.”
The issuance of certificates is part of the PPP process which include the conduct of public consultations, submission to the multi-sectoral City Development Council (CDC) for confirmation and to the City Council for approval and drawing and adoption of the terms of reference (TOR), the proposals will be opened to a competitive challenge where other private companies will be given the chance to make their bids for the market.
Magalong said “Sa amin lang naman we just have to lay down all the facts about the market, at the end of the day, we let the people decide, we are listening, kaya nga nagkakaron na tayo ng series of engagement ang dami na engagement na ginawa dito sa market.”
Backlash has been brewing in the community with advocates wary of the PPP scheme as well as the mall developer proponent, which is remembered for a people’s protest over the cutting of pine trees within Luneta Hill to accommodate the now finished project.
Magalong said “Well, iba ang situation noon and iba naman ang situation namin ngayon, unang una we opened the unsolicited proposal to all parties and when we saw in the basis of that proposal, pinang araralan naming kasama pa nga ang PPP center, and nung nakita nmain na this (SM) is the best proposal among all the other proposals, we started dealing with SM it doesn’t prevent us from dealing with SM although they have a questionable reputation because of the 1st mall na ginawa nila doon (Luneta Hill).
It was in 2020 when plans of SM Prime Holdings Incorporated (SM) and Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) were presented to the city baring a 50-year lease for the Baguio City Public Market.
RLC as awarded the project on the basis of a majority vote by the city council but on the same year, Magalong signed Memorandum 433 series of 2020, awarding the Original Proponent Status (OPS) to SM, disapproving the previous awarding to RLC. Maria Elena Catajan