17 February 2013, Business World Online
by Nanette L. Guadalquiver
The Regional Development Council’s executive committee in Western Visayas has approved the proposed heritage restoration and redevelopment project of Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
Dubbed “Talisay City Plaza Complex Heritage Restoration and Redevelopment Project,” the initiative is a pilot urban renewal project with the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines.
Talisay City Mayor Eric N. Saratan said a bidding will be conducted for the project, which will focus on the restoration and redevelopment of the 13,757-square-meter Talisay City Plaza Complex and the conversion of the Talisay City Central Public Market and the Old Talisay City Hall, along with the plaza, into mixed-use facilities.
Century-old structures San Nicholas de Tolentino Church and the old Lizares mansion will be restored and conserved to underscore their historical value and boost tourism development.
The mayor earlier said the design for the heritage complex was conceptualized by Talisay City while the PPP Center conducted the pre-feasibility study.
Mr. Saratan said the new market will cost around ₱280 million to be managed by the city government.
“No vendor in the present public market will be displaced by the PPP project,” the mayor said in a recent statement.
Based on the proposed schedule, construction of the market will start in June and will be completed in September 2014.
After a market sounding activity in June last year, the PPP Center said several developers, including SM Prime Holdings, Inc. and Ayala Land, Inc., have expressed interest to bankroll the Talisay restoration and development project. — Nanette L. Guadalquiver
