Tagbilaran’s Charm that was Agora
Sometimes in the late 1980’S, the old Tagbilaran market was baptized, “THE AGORA.” But as fate would have it — Agora was burned not only once but twice. It was rebuilt the first time it was burned, but when it was burned the second time, despite the City government pouring funds for its construction, the Agora never saw completion. For almost fifteen years, the Agora was an eyesore – a mark of the City government’s inefficiency.
Last 2006, Resolution No.01-149 s.2006 was passed, authorizing the Mayor to proceed with the completion of the Agora Building. In March 2007, a contract was signed between the City Government and a private consortium to REHABILITATE, OPERATE the Agora and TRANSFER it back to the City after a period of 25 years. In less than a year, the Agora was completed without the City Government spending a single centavo for its construction.
The Agora is now the Tagbilaran City Square, a handsome edifice with modern features standing proud in a prime location in the City. It houses business stalls, offices, restaurants, specialty and hardware stores, among others. The City now generates income from its lease rental and business taxes from stall operators. Undoubtedly, it was one of the boldest moves of the City Government that attracted a lot of critics. But its success was worth the risk.
This entry was posted by jnet on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 7:16 pm and is filed under Miscellaneous. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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