What does this mean?
“In an interview on Monday, Jan 13, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said that Quiapo’s Lacson Underpass—which was named after the late Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson—will be privatized,” reports Macon Ramos-Araneta in Manila Standard Today.
The report further quoted Estrada, who explained, “We will renovate it. Their (stallholders) contract with Manila City Hall has expired so we ordered its closure. We will open it anew, but the rental fee would be higher so we will earn. It will be airconditioned. It will be clean. It will be beautiful.”
The underpass makeover is expected to take a month or two. Estrada had pointed out that “lately, vendors have occupied the underpass’ entire floor area and homeless people have also been sleeping there.”
Estrada, however, did not explain how pedestrians will be affected by the temporary closure of the underpass. People use the underpass to cross Quezon Boulevard. However, he emphasized that they had given underpass vendors notice of the renovation two months before.
According to the report, the Manila City Council will pass a resolution on the privatization before the project is bid out.
