After Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas earlier said he is considering public-private partnerships (PPPs) for local projects including the upgrading of the city slaughterhouse in the Jaro district’s Barangay Tacas and establishing a waste-to-energy facility, he said a PPP is also being sought in the development of the Ortiz Wharf.
“Even with the new Parola Ferry Terminal and future construction of [a] bridge linking Guimaras [with Iloilo], people will still be using [the] Ortiz Port because it is near and convenient,” the mayor explained. “We will be looking if there are interested investors.”
“The city government will not spend for the project,” he added.
The wharf, which is temporarily closed until November for restoration work, serves as a primary gateway to Guimaras, with watercrafts docking at the Jordan Guimaras Port.
In terms of the earlier reported projects, Treñas said he had already consulted with the PPP Center in Manila regarding both proposals.
“They will be coming here this July to look into the slaughterhouse development,” he said. “There are four interested parties.”
“I am also in talks with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on new technologies that will address waste management concerns,” the mayor noted with regard to the planned waste-to-energy facility. “We are going to study if the smokey mountain can be mined to be used as fuel [for the] waste-to-energy process.”/WDJ