Tabuk City, Kalinga – Kalinga Apayao Religious Sector Association, Inc. wrote a letter to Mayor Darwin Estrañero and the Sangguniang Panlungsod asking that they put on hold the groundbreaking of a mall construction in Bulanao Public Market, Tabuk City if it is true until controversial questions have been answered.
KARSA, in their letter to the Mayor, said “Our desire is to know the truth and hope to avoid undue problems that may arise. We would like to request that the groundbreaking set on October 21, 2021, if it is true, shall be put on hold until after controversial issues have been addressed.”
Recently, there have been rumors circulating that the XRC Mall will have its groundbreaking on October 21, 2021. This, however, has not been confirmed by the City, neither has it been covered or mentioned thru its official news channel. Thus, it was also asked by the group whether it is true.
Additionally, KARSA again requested that the transactions and documents such as the lease of contract, the memorandum of agreement and other pertinent documents be provided to them since up to this time, they have not been given any copies.
“We have written the Mayor’s Office two times last year invoking Freedom of Information, yet we were ignored,” stated the letter posted on their Facebook page.
Meantime, in their letter to the Sangguniang Panlungsod, KARSA requested for a dialogue with concerned offices, the Mayor’s Office and individuals and that they be invited for this dialogue.
The demolition of the Bulanao Public Market to give way to a privately operated and owned mall has created intermittent tensions in the City.
On Thursday, the Bulanao Public Market Stall Owners, Vendors, and Consumers Association held a protest against the arrival of materials believed to be used for the initial phase of the mall construction.
In an interview with Father Jairus Carbonel Mateo, he said that the problems and misunderstandings may be resolved with transparency and accountability, adding that it is good to have a peaceful dialogue and delay the plans until agreements have been made clear and both sides have reached a common understanding.
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