BAGUIO CITY – The city government will explore other options for the redevelopment of the city's public market following SM Prime Holdings' (SMPH) withdrawal of its public-private partnership (PPP) proposal for the measure.

In an interview on Tuesday, Councilor Paolo Reynor Salvosa, chairman of the city council’s committee on laws, said the council agreed during its Monday session to defer accepting any unsolicited proposals while a master development plan for the facility is being drafted.

He said this plan would be led by the city government and not the private sector.

Salvosa added that the committee on market of the city council was also tasked to come up with a report on the best possible modes of development – either through obtaining a loan for the project, bond flotation, cooperative management, or a gradual increment if the city government can obtain a subsidy from the national government.

Salvosa, meanwhile, said the research work, public consultations, and dialogues on the matter did not go to waste despite SMPH's decision to scrap its proposal.

“We learned a lot, talked to lots of people, organizations, and groups, including the different stakeholders and obtained inputs, both positive and negative, which can still be utilized in the continuing discussion about the market’s redevelopment," he added.

On Jan. 3, Mayor Benjamin Magalong announced that SMPH called off its proposal to build a P4.5-billion multilevel facility intended to replace the city’s public market.

The withdrawal took place just two days before the committee was supposed to submit its recommendations and findings based on the outcome of research work, discussions, and public consultations to the city council on Jan. 5.

SMPH submitted an unsolicited proposal sometime in 2020 and was subjected to the PPP process.

The councilor said the PPP method is now out of the options, after many residents opposed it.

Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan earlier said that they will come up with the most feasible, possible, and acceptable mode of redevelopment plan which will benefit the city as a whole.

Salvosa said that among the things they learned in the process is a meaningful public consultation where all sectors were heard.

He pointed out that after the presentation, people need to cooperate, understand the issues, discuss, and not rely on what they think but what is best for the majority.

Salvosa said that the inputs from public hearings will also be submitted to the council as part of the ongoing discussions and the crafting of the master redevelopment plan.

“There were different points raised, but one is definite, we all want the market to be redeveloped and improved, but as to how, who and when, it will all come later.”