GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Mall operator giant Robinsons Land Corporation is putting up the first-ever modernized "mallengke" in Mindanao here in General Santos City.

A source from the Office of the City Mayor disclosed that, as of this writing, the LGU is already meeting its technical working group (TWG) for the possible implementation of the first-ever modernized public market cum shopping mall in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, Gensan City administrator, Attorney Franklin Gacal, in a text message confirmed that indeed Robinsons Land Corporation, which also operates Robinsons Mall of Gensan, is dipping its hands into the Mallengke Project to the tune of P2.3 billion.

He also informed that, currently, the TWG as per instruction of Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao is in the works to iron out the supposed partnership. He did not however elaborate if the planned mallengke will be a build-operate-transfer (BOT) or a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme.

The city administrator also assured the current stall owners of the General Santos City Public Market that they would be accommodated and given priority. "Current stallholders will be accommodated in the mallengke. The marketgoers will have a cleaner and more convenient place to buy their daily needs. More income for the city which means more services to the people," Gacal in a text message said.

Gacal stressed that once all the technical details are polished, the Office of the City Mayor shall forward the documents to the Sangguniang Panlungsod for the crafting of appropriate laws and ordinances which can possibly commence next year.

To recall, the previous administration of Gensan City Mayor Ronnel Rivera had pushed for a P1.2 billion modernized mallengke that would have facelifted the current status of the General Santos City Public Market along Santiago Boulevard.

The move of the Rivera administration in 2021 for the 2.2-hectare prime property received a backlash from then city councilor Franklin Gacal, saying the said project was foolish. Gacal, at that time, pointed out that it was somewhat foolish for the Local Government of Gensan to implement such a project since it was during the pandemic. The former city councilor even argued that the funds supposed to be used in the planned 3-story modernized mallengke would be carved out of the P1.9 billion proposed loan from Landbank of the Philippines.

"We will scrutinize it. We have to ensure that it is for the best interest of the people of Gensan. This is not something just to brag about that you have an airconditioned public market. It is foolish," the former lawmaker now city administrator said in 2021.

The proposed modernized mallengke would have a 3-story building with a mezzanine and roof deck parking and air-conditioned wet and dry market sections, as planned during the Rivera administration.