An ordinance establishing the Bacolod Food Terminal Complex in the City of Bacolod, was recently approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on third and final reading.
Authored by Bacolod Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, the ordinance said the Bacolod Food Terminal Complex will be established to serve as a “bagsakan center” for agricultural products delivered by farmers and/or producers of the City of Bacolod or nearby communities.
A food storage facility will also be established within the premises of the Bacolod Food Terminal Complex to provide proper storage and preservation of perishable agricultural and fishery products, it said.
The City Mayor will exercise general supervision, administration and control over the entire operations of the Bacolod Food Terminal Complex, the cold storage facility, and the personnel assigned to them, the ordinance added.
A designated officer will supervise and oversee the proper management and implementation of rules and regulations pertaining to the operation of the facility.
The City Mayor may delegate the administration and control of the Bacolod Food Terminal Complex to private entities, provided that the prospective operator has undergone the selection process and passed the bidding requirements set forth by a committee constituted through an executive order, the ordinance said.
Fees and charges will be imposed and collected on the operation and use of the Bacolod Food Terminal Complex and its facilities, as well as the distribution of agricultural produce within the City of Bacolod by the producers/farmers, suppliers, traders and wholesalers of agricultural products. Penalties will also be imposed for violation of any provision of the ordinance. (Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star)