GENERAL SANTOS CITY (1 April 2016) - Fifty pushcarts for the General Santos City International Airport have been given by the city government of Gensan through private-public partnership (PPP).
The pushcarts were handed over by City Mayor Ronnel Rivera to Allan Punay, head of Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Wednesday (March 30). Each pushcart costs P12,000.
Mayor Rivera was accompanied by City Economic Management and Cooperative Development Office (CEMCDO) head Riza Paches and Executive Assistant on Investment and Tourism Dave Arreglado.
Punay thanked the city government for granting their request of having additional pushcarts for the airport.
"Actually, this is a long overdue request. That is why I have to say thanks to Mayor Rivera for giving this assistance to us," Punay said.
The airport porters were also happy that they have additional pushcarts. They said the increase in the number of passengers made the additional pushcarts a big help for them.
These pushcarts were first requested by the CAAP from the city government during one of the legs of the SOCSKSARGEN Area Development Plan as part of the major improvements that the city airport needs.
They were all given by the proprietors of the Gaisano Mall of Gensan. According to the owner of the mall, who asked not to be named, it was Mayor Rivera who personally outsourced these pushcarts from them.
"He talked to me about this project. I agreed then, because I see that these (pushcarts) will be beneficial to our airport," the Gaisano owner said.
For Mayor Rivera, this donation proves that partnerships can aid for the boon of Gensan.
"We need PPPs like these because the resources of the city government is very limited. We have different priorities for the development of the city, but we just can’t leave other aspects to be hanging," the mayor explained.
"That is where the role of the PPPs come in. They gave us assistance to further enhance the reach of services that the local government of Gensan can give," he added.
Mayor Rivera also said that the city airport will undergo major renovations to improve its physical structures and services.
"The Department of Transportation and Communication allotted almost P1 billion for the development of this airport. This includes the overhauling of the entire airport building and other components so that it cater to international flights already," Rivera said.
The start of the construction is expected to push through this year. (Gensan CPIO/ Ian John Lagare)
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