New market to house ‘Bagsakan’

Farmers from the neighboring towns and cities of Cebu can display and sell their produce in the new Mandaue City Bagsakan Center at the city’s new public market starting next month.

These developed after the the Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas (DA-7) turned over the operation of the center to the Mandaue city government on Wednesday, paving the way for the transfer of the old center at barangay Ibabao-Estancia to the new market at the Mandaue Reclamation Area.

The center, however, have yet to be readied and is expected to open next month.

Cortes said city government would allot a 500-sq.m. area in the new market for the center.

Mosuline Suliva, Mandaue City market administrator, and Bonifacio Cabahug, city agriculturist, who are officers-in-charge of the project, said the center could accommodate at least 100 farmer-vendors.

“Kon magsugod na ni,mahimo na unya ni og murag Carbon,” Suliva said.

Mandaue City Mayor Cortes, for his part, said that he asked the DA-7 Regional technical director Dr. Eduardo Alama that the operations be turned over to the city and the center be transferred to to ease traffic in the area.

Cortes said he planned to use the vacated lot as a terminal for PUJs going to the north of Cebu.

Meanwhile, income of the new Mandaue City market decreased after 90 percent of the stall renters availed of the city government’s offer of a one year-moratorium of market fees.

Market administrator Suliva said that the earnings dipped from P3.2 million in the month of June to P2.8 million in August.

Suliva said the renters decided to avail of the one-year moratorium offer after the city government started collecting electric and water fees from the renters.

The city government offered the one-year-moratorium as a consideration for the stall renters, who are still coping with the transfer to the new market.

The moratorium will end on Jan. 8, 2014.

Suliva also assured that the market’s income was still enough to operate the market.

He also reminded about 150 people, who won awards for market stall space but hadn’t yet used it, that they had until November to occupy their spaces.

He said after November, their unused stall spaces would be declared vacant and would be offered to interested stall renters./Correspondent Fe Marie Dumaboc