SM welcome in Dagupan but…
IT DOESN’T seem like the giant mall SM will begin to open its doors soon to Dagupenos.
Mayor Benjamin Lim, owner of a chain of local malls and retail stores in Pangasinan and nearby provinces, said mall giant SM is welcome in Dagupan but he raised several issues which he said the company must resolve prior to its planned construction in the city.
Speaking before the ‘Media in Action’ Forum of the Pangasinan Press Club (PPC), Lim acknowledged that the entry of SM will affect his own business but as mayor he will have to consider the bigger interests of the people in the city.
He stressed, however, that the SM management is facing several hurdles, among them the, area in Barangay Tambac, it plans to build its mall “is not an industrial or business area”.
To pursue SM’s plan, the area will have to be re-zoned to fit the purpose, which requires an approval by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), something that Lim sees as “as another obstacle”.
The SP is chaired by Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, who heads their family-owned CSI group of companies, which also operates malls and supermarkets in Pangasinan and other provinces.
LAND CONVERSION
Further, Lim pointed out that the area is “for all intents and purposes a fishpond”, thus will require a conversion process that needs to be approved by several government agencies.
At the same time, the mayor stressed that SM’s proposal must include a complete plan for a drainage system.
The targetted area in Barangay Tambac is perennially flooded due to small rivers traversing the place. Only the existing fishponds currently absorbing the excess water during rains.
He warned that when the area is backfilled and no alternative drainage system is set up, rainwater will have no place to flow.
Lim also said to improve access, there will be a need to extend Perez Boulevard to Barangay Mangin, but this is not feasible as the owners of private properties to be traversed by the proposed extension are not willing to sell their properties.
Public consultations will also have to be undertaken with market vendors to consider their position on SM’s planned entry into the city.
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