Mayor apologizes; Talisay city signs 25-year fish port deal

Talisay City Mayor Johnny delos Reyes apologized for  not showing up yesterday morning for an appointment  to sign a 25-year deal with a a private investor to develop  and operate the idle Talisay City fish port.

The deal  with the  Asian Marine Transport Corp.  was sealed later that evening   when the mayor, Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante and some city councilors went to the office of the CEO in Cebu City at about 5 p.m. to sign the contract and clear things up.

The mayor apologized  to the company president   and CEO Paul Rodriguez, who had earlier fumed over the no-show and waited for two hours in the mayor’s office before tearing up  a P9.6 million check in frustration and calling Talisay city “sick” and “unprofessional.”

“Since they (Talisay official) have given their sincere apologies, we  have reconciled,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview.

He said the mayor explained that the contract signing was only “delayed” since he had some concerns about the 25-year lease that he wanted to clarify .

That night, both parties signed a lease contract for the  shipping firm to  pay Talisay  City  P800,000 a month for the use of the 2.4-hectare lot where the fish port and roll-on-roll-off  port are located.

The mayor earlier wanted the firm to pay P1.098 million a month  but they settled on the original amount in the contract.

The mayor also wanted Talisay city residents prioritized for jobs in the project, adding at the last minute that the firm should hire those endorsed by the mayor.

Rodriguez said he told the mayor the company does not want to be “political” in its hiring decisions.

“Whoever they are, if they are qualified, we will give them priority. Everyone can be hired,” he said.

The company will invest  P560 million for the development and extension  of the ro-ro port  as  a major gateway to Cebu. The Talisay port is envisioned as a  major logistics hub for activities from Manila and Batangas to the Visayas and Mindanao.

Eduardo Gullas, former  congressman and Talisay  mayor, said de los Reyes’ earlier conduct sent the wrong signal to investors.

“Talisay City is not sick. The people are vibrant and alive. It’s just that the leadership is inept,” he told reporters.

The Talisay fish port was establishe during Gullas’ term as mayor at a cost P716 million.

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