By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.
Maasin City, Southern Leyte-The establishment of a Metro Department Store and Supermarket here in this 10-ten-old city is a win-win situation between Metro Gaisano and the City Government.
This was the conclusive disclosure of Dr. Edward Gaisano, owner of a well-known Cebu-based chain of stores in the Visayas area during the groundbreaking ceremony held recently at the bus terminal at the new reclamation area.
He revealed it was the former Mayor Damian Mercado who invited him to open a Metro store in Maasin sometime in the 1998.
However, that plan remains a plan until the time when the Metro owner has decided to open a branch pawnshop named Prime Asia here several years ago.
The younger Gaisano informed the additional opening in the city of two other Prime Asia branches that he also owns, has raised his interest to reconsider Mercado’s invitation by visiting again.
Former Vice-Mayor and now the Mayor of Maasin Maloney Samaco confided that he made follow-ups by attending series of meetings in Cebu. He said he also appointed City Administrator Atty. Feorillo Abiera Demeterio,Jr. to attend on his behalf if he has other engagement to attend.
Mercado, now the incumbent Governor of the province confirmed in support of what Gaisano has said earlier that the coming of Metro Gaisano is not a “negative treat” to the local businessmen selling goods and items similar to Metro.
“Those buyers who by other reasons have forgotten something to buy while inside the Metro store”, its owner said” can also buy those things in some local stores”.
He claimed that the presence of his store will attract other consumers/buyers in the neighboring towns of Maasin. Most likely to come from the northern part of Leyte are buyers from Matalom,Bato,Hilongos,Hindang and Inopacan.From the southern part are Macrohon,Padre Burgos,Limasawa Island,Malitbog,Tomas Oppus ,Bontoc ,Sogod and Libagon.
“Going to Maasin will certainly reduce the buyers’ expenses and travel time than going to Cebu to do the shopping”, Gaisano emphasized.
He stressed that another positive reaction as to the result of establishing his store here is that it will also attract other potential investors who will visit the place.”They might also consider, after touring Maasin, to put up also their businesses here”, he said.
Gaisano like Mayor Samaco said that the opening of Metro will provide employment to local workers who would fill up about 80% of the workforce with only 20% from the main office in Cebu occupying special positions.
Governor Mercado further divulged that the secret why Gaisano Metro has finally decided to establish a store here was because of the prevailing peace and order of the city “which is conducive to progress and prosperity”.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
At the groundbreaking there were two sets of public officials including the owner and his staff who performed the demonstrative act of the ceremonies. The first group was composed of seven persons, namely, Dr.Edward Gaisano, Mayor Maloney Samaco, Vice-Mayor Effie Abiera-Sabandal, Congressman Roger Mercado, Governor Damian Mercado, Metro Gaisano’s Retail Group Head Arthur Emmanuel and ABC President Nacional Verrano Mercado.
The second group was all Barangay Captains of the City. Each group all wearing helmets with their shovels on hand scooped part of the heap of sands to bury the time capsule put inside the hole. Digital cameras and cellphones with built-in cameras among the Metro staff and the press flashed and clicked as the groundbreaking ceremonies took actions.
Earlier, Saint Joseph College Chaplain Rev. Arniel Borneo did the prayer. He then blessed the time capsule and those who surrounded it before it was put inside the hole dug near the concrete stairs, within the bus terminal area.
Emmanuel for his part, promised that they will be good citizens of Maasin and that they will provide lower prices of their goods and products coupled with friendly services to the customers.
He also claimed that they have the commitment to serve the people and allow their workers to grow and do something more.
Building Construction
Asked in an ambushed interview with the press, Gaisano confided that the building will be occupying 5,400 square meters lot for its construction at the reclam.
Architect Dennis Hontiveros, project coordinator, with the presence of his colleague Engr. Joel Castañares Tabaranza, intimated they were the once who drew up the design of the building in the computer. He then emailed it to other office where the blueprint of the building could be magnified in a tarpaulin for clearer public viewing. Although the building design is still in huge plastic print, it looked like a real thing.
Hontiveros said that they will be hiring three contractors doing specific jobs, that is from building construction to electrical and pipeline installations and landscaping. He also estimated that the works shall start either in February or March next year.” Once the construction would start”, he said, “we would be ordering the contractors to finish it in less than five months time”.
Samaco further unfolded that in the agreement both the City Government and the Metro store owner are applying the Build-Operate-Transfer scheme.”This means that after the length of years drawn in the agreement”, he said,” the Metro store building shall be turned over to the City Government”.
This scheme is also in consonance with the executive order of the Aquino administration encouraging the government sector to have partnership with the private sector called Public-Private-Partnership approach.
Additionally, the opening of the Metro store that has a partnership with the Ayala Corporation has likewise lower the city’s bank loan to only P50M, instead of about P 144M, Samaco confessed, for the building construction at the reclamation area.”The Gaisano Metro management will be the one to continue for the building construction”, he said.
During lunchtime at the SP session hall, Gaisano donated to the provincial government P50,000 for the LGU which was received by the Governor. He handed the P50,000 check to Mayor Samaco who showed it to the audience with gleeful smile.
Also present during the historic even were 10 City Counciors,70 Barangay Captains, all heads of City Hall offices and some of its employees, Louie Kuizon-water analyst; Korean investor Richard Ryu; Atty.Vincent Tomaneg-Metro Gaisano’s Legal Counsel; Aljim Tamandre- MGVP for Finance; Luz Bitang-MG-AVP for Operations; Enbee Tagalog-Marketing Dept; and other Metro Gaisano personnel, the print and broadcast media and some city dwellers. Tourism Officer Royen Kangleon Segovia,Sr. was the EMCEE of the program proper.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)
Panny’s Bakeshop, City Proper,
Infront of Mercury Drug, Maasin City, So.Leyte;
Panny’s Hombakeshop Products,
(Tacloban City Branch) 125 Gomez St., Telephone
Number (053)321-5353.Accept Orders.
ABBY DYANNE’S ENTERPRISES AND PRINTING PRESS
169 E.Rosales St., Tagnipa.Maasin City, So. Leyte
Telefax no.(053)570-9759/381-0619,Mobile N0.09278609437;
09176323264; 09155555875; Services Offer: photocopy,
Risograph, Lamination, Calendars, Button Pins, PVC IDs,
Business Receipts, Photo Printing, ETC.
No comments:
Post a Comment