Published in the Bohol Chronicle
*******
Ninety-nine percent of city residents expressed elation on the final take-off of the rehabilitation work of the former Agora Market which will soon rise as the Tagbilaran Business Center.
In a random telephone/text message survey conducted by top-rated dyRD program "Inyong Alagad" last Monday, residents voiced out their commendation and appreciation for the project to finally commence since the Agora has been a major eyesore during the past 20 years.
Since after the market was razed to the ground by a conflagration, the previous administration failed to finish its reconstruction. In fact, about P50-million was already spent during the nine-year administration of former mayor Joe Torralba. However, only a skeletal structure was seen despite fund assistance coming also from the late Rep. Venice Borja-Agana and Rep. Edgar Chatto, aside from the funds of the city government during Torralba's term.
The public finally believed on the determination of Mayor Dan Lim to rehabilitate the Agora into a modern business complex when the winning bidder, JL Apostol Enterprises Inc., started to fence the area last Tuesday to signal the commencement of the rehabilitate-operate-transfer (ROT) scheme of the project.
Juan Apostol, president of the Tagbilaran Business Center consortium, brought in last Wednesday his engineers, technical men and laborers based in Zamboanga City and started inspecting the site.
One of Apostol's local engineering consultants, Engr. Liberato Lupot, conducted an ocular inspection at the unfinished structure to determine the future arrangement of commercial spaces and the overall status of the structure.
According to Lupot, the actual testing for structural integrity will start this week. He said that over the years that the unfinished building was idle, its materials and components would tend to undergo a natural decay.
The current carrying capacity of the building will also be ascertained since based on the rehabilitation design, a roofdeck will be added to the building which was originally designed as a two-story edifice.
After the contractor has tested the structural integrity of the building, Apostol said, they will start laying out the business center's blueprint which will pave the way for the actual construction work that will start in about a month from now, according to Apostol.
When asked if there will be major alterations on the current structure, Apostol observed that there are too many posts in the unfinished building and they may have to take out some of these if it does not affect the strength of the edifice.
The contractor said that he could already build a complete modern business center out of the P50-million already spent of the skeletal Agora.
Apostol admitted, however, that the awarding of the project that coincided with the election period has put the noble intentions of both the contractor and City Hall in a bad light.
LAUGHS OFF CLAIMS
The contractor laughed off claims that the rehabilitate-operate-transfer (ROT) scheme entered into by his company and City Mayor Dan Lim is grossly disadvantageous to the city government.
Apostol told the Chronicle that the computations provided to him by a group identified with former mayor Joe Torralba is both "unrealistic and ridiculous".
He also brushed aside accusations that he issued a check in the amount of P1.8 million to Mayor Lim in exchange for the awarding of the contract.
The computation estimates that if the city government would undertake the Agora reconstruction and operates it, the construction costs will be recovered after 12 years and will generate over P60-million in revenues annually.
Apostol argued that for more than ten years, the government could hardly fund the completion of the former public market. The P60-million which the consortium will spend for the rehabilitation will be spread over 25 years that the consortium operates the Tagbilaran Business Center.
If the city government intends to operate and recover the costs over a short period, the undertaking is bound to fail, Apostol stressed.
Aside from the guaranteed P5-million yearly net income for the city (whether the consortium gains or sustain losses), other revenues will go to the city in the form of taxes and licenses from the building's tenants.
(Funny survey, I think. Who wouldn't want to see a beautiful Agora in Tagbilaran?)
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=85.0