Fire hits Gensan market

GENERAL SANTOS CITY --- A fire hit the controversial General Santos Public Market, Friday night, fortunately no one was recorded injured or needed medical attention.

In a Facebook post by Gensan City Administrator, Attorney Franklin Gacal, he said that he was immediately ordered by General Santos City Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao to quickly respond to the said incident and check for any casualty.

Upon reaching the public market, Gacal explained that it very fortunate that the fire did not really go big and the damage was very minimal. “I’ve heard from initial reports that there were only five stalls involved. We shall wait for further investigation, ” the administrator disclosed to the members of the local media.

The said official lamented that all the stall owners who fell victim with the fire shall receive adequate support from the City Social Welfare and Development Office pending the final investigation of personnel from the Bureau of Fire and Protection.

In August, the General Santos City Public Market became the center of controversy after hundreds of stall owners picketed and conducted a peaceful demonstration expressing their dismay on the unsolicited proposal of the Robinsons Land Corporation in turning the almost 2-hectare property into a modernized “Mallengke” worth at least P2.3 billion. The market stall owners feared of high rentals of stall and displacement once the project will commence.