CEBU CITY, Philippines — Just when the sun was about to end on Wednesday, three remarkable events were conducted by the local government of Danao City on Wednesday, October 18, 2023.
The local government of Danao had two groundbreaking ceremonies and an inauguration of a park on Wednesday afternoon in Barangay Poblacion, Danao City.
The first event, which started at 4 p.m., was the groundbreaking ceremony of Danao City’s public market, the ‘Merkado sa Danao.’
Merkado sa Danao
The groundbreaking of Merkado sa Danao marked the restoration of the public market after it was engulfed by fire on June 2, 2022 that affected at least P52.2 million worth of property.
READ: P52.2M lost in Danao City Public Market fire
On Wednesday afternoon, the new look of the city’s public market was unveiled to the public, especially to the market vendors, in a video presentation.
In his message, Danao City Mayor Thomas Mark “Mix” Durano assured the market vendors that they would be able to return to their business operations in the Merkado sa Danao soon.
According to Danao City Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III, the estimated cost for the construction is P400 million, which was approved by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
The Danao City mayor expressed his gratitude to the city officials for ensuring the “viability” of their proposal to the DBP.
“To our partner, the Development Bank of the Philippines, thank you for seeing the sincerity of our proposal. Thank you for the approval of our city’s application with this grant we shall build back better,” Mix said.
Danao market: Sustainable building
Meanwhile, the architectural design of the public market was also shown to the public on Wednesday.
Architect Daryl Garcia said that they designed the market as a sustainable building.
It would have a rainwater catchment system, solar power, natural ventilation, and greeneries among others.
“Kay para bisag merkado siya, ma uplift nato’g ma upgrade ang look, ang feel ug ang standard sa merkado nato, mo follow sad ang tanang developments,” Garcia said in an interview.
Aerial view of the design of Merkado sa Danao/Courtesy of Danao City PIO
The public market was built 29 years ago and served as a symbol of friendship and cooperation between Danao City and Japan.
The establishment was donated by the government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
New abattoir soon
Moreover, Nito revealed that they loaned P500 million from the DBP. The P400 million would be for the public market, while the P100 million would be for the new abattoir.
The old abattoir was located beside the Bureau of Fire Protection, near the public market.
The new abattoir would be located soon in Barangay Cambanay which has an estimated distance of 3.9 kilometers from Barangay Poblacion based on Google Maps.
Nito said they are planning to establish a new government center at the site of the old abattoir which had around two hectares.
Museo de Danao
The second event on Wednesday afternoon was the groundbreaking ceremony for the Museo de Danao.
The soon-to-rise Museo de Danao would be a two-storey building with 800 square meter floor area. It will be erected at the site which used to be the Danao Provincial High School, then became the Danao City Police Station, which was gutted by fire in January 2015.
Soon-to-rise Museo De Danao/Courtesy of Danao City PIO
Moreover, the PIO said that the site had its historical roots tracing back to the 1860s when it was a Spanish Municipal Site.
The city’s first museum would house a collection of artifacts, heirlooms, and cultural treasures that represent Danao City’s history, arts, and traditions.
It would also serve as a public library and a hub for various cultural activities, workshops, and it would also house the city’s tourism office.
Funded by the local government, Nito said that the project’s allotted budget is P14 million and P7 million, of which is allotted for the first phase of the project, while another P7 million for the second phase.
Sidlak Danao Park
The third and last event on Wednesday was the unveiling and inauguration of the newly renovated ‘Sidlak Danao’ Park.
Established in 2016, the “Sidlak Danao” is the local government’s tagline which translates to “Shine Danao.”
Sidlak Danao Park/Courtesy of Danao City PIO
Years later, the city decided to give more meaning to their tagline after the city council passed an ordinance that would make each letter of Sidlak Danao represent the city’s core values.
Below are the core values that make the city’s tagline:
S – Servant Leadership
I – Inclusivity
D – Developmental
L – Livable
A – Adaptability
K – Knowledge
D – Dynamic
A – Accountable
N – Nurturing
A – Action
O – Order
According to the city’s PIO, the Sidlak Danao Park renovation had an estimated cost of P925,414, funded by the city’s budget, and its construction was through the City Engineering Office.
Three events in one afternoon
In an interview with Nito, they decided to conduct the three events in one day because they wanted to start the two groundbreaking projects as soon as possible.
“Ang kaning sa merkado, in principle kay na approve naman sa DBP, nya gusto sad namo nga masugdan dayon nga mahuman by next year. Unya ang kaning sa museum, naapil naman, naa nama’y budget so gidungan nalang namo. Pero kaning sa Sidlak, dugay naman na [nga na establish] so gi-timing na lang sad [since] naa raman sa vicinity,” the vice mayor said.
/bmjo