Residents of Sto. Niño town in South Cotabato province will now have additional public market stalls to help boost local businesses as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) XII and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) XII turned-over its progressive type-two-storey public market project to the local government unit last January 22.

“The LGU is very thankful to the DILG. This will definitely benefit a lot of business owners in the municipality,” Sto. Niño town mayor Sulpicio Villalobos said during the turn-over ceremony.

DILG XII Regional Director Josephine Cabrido-Leysa, CESO III led the ceremonial turn-over and inauguration of the project, which was also attended by municipal government officials and department heads, barangay officials, and stall owners.

Director Leysa congratulated the LGU for the milestone and expressed her support to its future economic ventures.

DILG funded the said project in 2019 worth seven million pesos under the Public Market/Public Cemetery (PMPC) program of the DILG-Office of the Secretary, and was implemented by DPWH. It features eight stalls in its lower ground floor and an open space in the upper floor.

“We are okay with this progressive type project, and rest assured that we will do our best to complete this project. We also hope that we can still avail of the projects of the DILG,” Mayor Villalobos said.

From 2012 to 2020, DILG was able to give Php 61,213,377.00 worth of financial assistance to Sto. Niño for the implementation and construction of various infrastructure projects, Director Leysa said. In 2019, the LGU also ranked 10 region-wide and ranked 3 province-wide in the implementation of its Assistance to Municipalities (AM) projects.

“We can see the progress in your municipality, and we are proud that we are able to witness that. Rest assured that the Department will continue to support Sto. Nino,” Director Leysa said.