CITING safety concerns, the Mandaue City Government has started emergency repair and canopy removal works at the Mandaue City Public Market to ensure the safety of vendors and buyers after an assessment indicated structural concerns.
City Administrator Gonzalo “Sally” Malig-on confirmed the emergency project and said the Mayor is closely monitoring the progress.
“We are happy to inform the public, especially our vendors and buyers in Mandaue City, that we have already talked to Mayor Jonkie Ouano about the ongoing work at the public market,” Malig-on said. Ouano personally visited the site earlier this week to inspect the progress.
The City Administrator clarified that the project does not currently have a specific budget allocation because a private engineering group offered to help with the emergency work.
“There are already figures being looked into, but because this is an urgent situation, we’ll see how the process goes,” he said.
Based on the engineers’ assessment, the project is expected to be completed within a week. Work began Thursday, Oct. 16 with focus on stabilizing the structure.
“The other side at Zamora Street was first reinforced with beams to ensure safety when the canopy on the Colonnade side is removed,” Malig-on explained. “The team has already finished work on the Zamora side, so they are now cutting the canopy on the Colonnade side, which will take more time. But according to Mayor Jonkie, he wants it finished
within a week.”
To allow crane operations and ensure public safety, the Colonnade side of the market has been temporarily closed.
Malig-on assured the public that within one week or a little more, the safety concerns will be resolved, and vendors can return to their usual spots. He added that replacing the canopy, which requires new funding, will be discussed at a later date. / ABC