The terms of negotiation for the development of the Baguio public market, pursuant to city’s public-private partnership ordinance, is expected to be completed by Feb. 9.
City Administrator Bonifacio dela Peña said the terms of negotiation, which will be offered to SM Prime that holds the original proponent status (OPS) for the market development, is being meticulously crafted to make sure all issues and concerns are incorporated before actual negotiations take place.
The P4 committee, headed by dela Peña, is expected to wrap up the terms of negotiation by Feb. 9 before this is presented to Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
“If the mayor approves, we will start the negotiation process,” dela Peña said.
He said the terms of negotiation will be offered to SM Prime, where every concern raised by every stakeholder will be discussed.
“If even one of the terms that we have crafted is not negotiated on, the process becomes a failure,” he said.
Dela Peña said based on the timeline prepared by the committee, negotiation could last for 45 days and can be extended up to 120 days.
If the committee and SM Prime agreed on all the terms of the negotiation, only then can the terms of reference (TOR) be crafted.
The TOR sets the parameters for the Swiss challenge, which would allow parties interested to develop the public market to participate and match the offers of the holder of the OPS.
“Anybody can participate in the Swiss challenge as long as they abide by the TOR. This is where the city will choose the best offer,” dela Peña said.
What happens if the process fails?
Dela Peña said there are other modes the city government can develop the public market, such as subjecting it to competitive bidding.
The city subjected the improvement of the market through PPP pursuant to the city’s P4 ordinance. – Jane B. Cadalig
April 27, 2024
