“ If they can prove that the majority of them are in favor of the renovation of the Burgos Public Market then, we will reconsider our project in Burgos.”
This was the reaction of Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez after he was informed that there were groups of vendors and consumers who were gathering signatures for the renovation of the Burgos Public Market.
“They want to continue the project in Burgos Public Market so they should hurry while I’m still here,” Benitez said.
This is after Benitez earlier announced that the city will no longer renovate the Burgos Public Market, and the allotted budget for the supposed renovation project will be used for other projects.
Last month, majthe ority of the Burgos Public Market Vendors Association members were not in favor of renovating the market.
The vendors were given a deadline to submit their concerns regarding the proposed renovation, and most of them were not in favor of the improvement of the market.
Of at least 700 members of the vendors association, 237 of them voted against the renovation and only 34 voted in favor of the project.
Councilor Celia Matea Flor, chairperson of the City Council committee on markets, said a group of vendors at Burgos Public Market made a petition to continue the project in Burgos.
Aside from the vendors, she said a group of consumers near the area also asked the city to continue the project in Burgos Public Market.
“It’s not only an improvement because we have to demolish the existing building for the new market,” she added.
Flor noted that she will also ask the mayor to reconsider the allocation of the budget for the renovation of the Burgos Public Market.
The city government earlier allotted P525 million for the renovation of the Burgos Public Market, which is part of the P4.4 billion approved loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines. /MAP