Source: The Manila Times, 31 March 2012

 

Talisay City in Negros Occidental, under its first public-private partnership (PPP) program, will restore and conserve its neglected heritage sites to boost its tourism value, the PPP Center said on Friday.

In a statement, the PPP Center said that Talisay City is pursuing its development plan dubbed as “The Village City: A Model for Balanced Development by 2040” which centers on the restoration and redevelopment of the Talisay City Plaza Complex, including the conversion of the Talisay City Central Public Market and the Old Talisay City Hall, including the Plaza into mixed-use facilities.

Historic sites such as the San Nicholas de Tolentino Church, which was built in 1850, and the old Lizares mansion will be restored and conserved to highlight the richness of Talisay’s history.

Meanwhile, the PPP Center said that it will provide technical assistance, specifically for project development, preparation and rollout support to the local government of Talisay, including pre-investment activities.

“The project that we have with the City of Talisay is in line with the current thrust of the country’s PPP program to provide alternative means of funding through public-private partnerships to help rebuild and restore our heritage sites to their former grandeur and make them financially profitable for the government and our people,” PPP Center Executive Director Cosette Canilao said.

Canilao added that working with the local governments on their various projects using the PPP scheme allows for developing and implementing projects that are well prepared and anchored on the principles of good governance.

Mayor Eric Saratan of Talisay City said that the local government of Talisay and the PPP Center also signed the Technical Assistance Agreement, which is a part of the preparatory work for the first PPP project of the city.

The agreement outlines the scope of technical assistance from the Center, including the responsibilities and functions of both parties.

For its part, Talisay City will contract the services of a private consultant to forge the Site Development Plan of the project.