Gullas vows to build new Tabunok market sans loan

CEBU, Philippines – Former Cebu first district congressman Eduardo Gullas will build the new Tabunok Public Market in Talisay City without lending money from financial institutions, if he gets elected mayor in 2016.

Gullas made the promise contrary to the plan of incumbent Mayor Johnny V. delos Reyes to build the market by obtaining P387 million loan, which was blocked by the City Council.

Gullas said he will build the market phase-by-phase and the vendors would occupy until it is completed and they need not be moved elsewhere.

“In this case we hope to build the market without incurring any indebtedness as what we have done in all the other projects in Talisay, we don’t owe a single centavo in a lending institution,” said Gullas, also a former mayor of the city.

To be accommodated in the new public market is the covered parking area for tricycles and trisikad.

With this, Gullas plans to convert the Lagtang market into a technical-vocational training center of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to give the youth in the upper areas the opportunity to enroll and be trained for short term courses.

The transfer of vendors from old Tabunok market to Lagtang during the administration of former mayor, now Councilor Socrates Fernadez, was strongly opposed and believed to be the major factor why Gullas was defeated by delos Reyes in 2013 elections.

Allowing vendors to return to the old Tabunok Public Market was among the promises made by delos Reyes during the campaign.

Delos Reyes delivered his last State of the City Address at the controversial Tabunok Public Market to let the Talisaynons know that the majority of the City Council headed by Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante opposed the construction of the new one.

The mayor requested the City Council’s support on his plan to get a loan to finance the construction of the Tabunok market.

However, majority of the members of the council refused to give authority to the mayor to obtain the loan. —/FPL (FREEMAN)