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As one of the flagship programs of City Mayor Peter B. Miguel, the opening of an integrated public transport terminal is coming soon in the City of Koronadal to address the rising needs of commuters and passengers in the city. This will be the first ever public transport terminal that will be put up in the city. As the Administrative Seat of Region XII and as the capital of South Cotabato, increased passenger flow is expected to continue to rise, hence, construction of a spacious, comfortable and an accessible transport terminal is of utmost necessity as among the basic services of the city.
To set the project on the go, initial steps were undertaken such as the creation of “Taskforce Terminal” to spearhead the scouting of the area among others as part of the acquisition process. Ten potential areas were identified all over the city and the proposed Abella property at Pinto Subdivision, B/Zone 3 was singled out to be the most qualified and advantageous for the purpose considering the requirements set for a public transport terminal such as viability, efficiency, road user safety, people-friendliness, and environmental concerns.
Other local initiatives and pre-requisites were also conducted such as consultations and IEC to ensure transparency. The Lot Selection Committee composed of multi-sectoral members representing the local government departments, NGAs, NGOs, CSOs and the private transport group was guided by professional consultants from UP-School of Urban Planning (UP-SURP) and UP-National Center for Transportation Studies (UP-NCTS) in determining the area fit for this public facility. Moreover, according to City Treasurer Gumbao, the appraisal committee employed three approaches in considering the area to include the sales comparison approach, the opinion survey approach and the cost approach to render objectivity in the process.
The request for authority to purchase is now on the committee level of the Sangguniang Panlungsod and will go through the regular processes of public hearings and consultations.
Meanwhile in an interview, City Treasurer Marloun C. Gumbao,CPA said that if ever the purchase of Abella property be finally considered, the city government could save almost 20% of the cost in buying the six-hectare lot which was originally offered for sale by the owner at PhP800 per square meter but was trimmed down to PhP 672 more or less per square meter after a series of negotiations with the owner. According to Treasurer Gumbao, the location of the proposed public terminal conformed to the DOTC guidelines on distance from the superhighway and within the 2,000 radius range from the urban center.
Construction activities for the realization of this project are expected to kick off within the year.
By: Caroline Mariano
