ILIGAN City ― Work is finally set to resume on the long-stalled Palao Market project this week, with a new contractor stepping in to address major safety concerns that halted construction earlier this year.
Architect Marcelo Tabamo, Assistant Vice President of NorthMin Stoneridge Corp., announced on a local radio show hosted by former Mayor Lawrence Ll. Cruz and former city councilors Jose Zalsos and Roy Openiano that the project will restart on Tuesday, September 17. The new completion date is set for May 31, 2025, eight months from the resumption.
Tabamo revealed that the P583 million project, which began in February 2020 under then-Mayor Celso Regencia, has several critical safety issues that need to be addressed.
These include faulty tile installation, hazardous electrical wiring, and dangerously narrow market stalls.
“There’s a lot of headache in this project,” Tabamo admitted, explaining that the current setup poses significant risks to vendors and customers alike.
The Palao Market, originally contracted to BM Marketing, was supposed to be completed by December 2021 but has been plagued by delays and safety concerns.
The previous contractor was terminated by the current administration under Mayor Frederick Siao in April 2023. BM Marketing has since filed a legal complaint, but the Construction Industry Arbitration Commission (CIAC) ruled that the city could move forward with a new contractor.
NorthMin Stoneridge Corp., based in Quezon City with regional offices, will now take over the project. Tabamo emphasized that while 75% of the workers will be local hires, specialized labor will be brought in from their end. The company is known for handling major projects, including Robinsons malls in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
The previous contractor, BM Marketing, also faced similar controversies in other areas, including Cebu City and Tacloban’s Daniel Romualdez Airport, where another contractor had to step in to fix safety concerns on the runway.
As for the current state of the Palao Market, major repairs include redoing stairs to make them safer for senior citizens, replacing substandard railings, fixing faulty escalators and elevators, and repainting peeling walls.
The long-awaited resumption brings hope to local vendors and residents, but many are still wary of the issues that have plagued the project.
