DAVAO CITY — Following the green light from the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA) and project awarding to a Tagum City-based firm, the construction of the P300-million fish port facility in Mati City, Davao Oriental is set to commence next month.
In an interview Wednesday, Ben Jason Tesiorna, Mati City information officer, said of the estimated project cost, the PFDA has committed to allocate P150 million.
PFDA general manager Glen Pangapalan informed the winning contractor that his office will initially shell out P69.3 million as part of the P150-million allotment.
Tesiorna identified the winning project contractor as the Teddie Construction Development/Metro Gear Construction Corporation with an office in Barangay Magdum.
He said the local government of Mati, for its counterpart, will source out funds for the remaining cost of the project.
“For the first phase, two hectares will be utilized with the construction of structures like the administrative building and market hall,” Tesiorna told the Philippine News Agency.
He added that the original plan covers 10 hectares of the property located in Purok Calagundian in Mati, a city which according to its local information office is known for its tuna, sail fish, pandawan, and scuhido.
Tesiorna said Mati currently has no fish port and that the PFDA-funded facility will be the first in the city.
“The original plan is for it to have a market hall, cannery, storage facility and a wastewater treatment facility. But Phase 1 of the project would just have the admin building and the market hall,” he said.
Meanwhile, Allan Andrada, special assistant to City Mayor Michelle Rabat, said the Mati fish port is most likely to be a smaller version of the General Santos fish port.
“The fish port project needs at least P300 million budget to be fully modernized,” he said.