Councilor Jimmy Carbonell voiced disgust on Monday with the Old Public Market in Puerto Princesa City after stepping on Saturday on what he initially believed was a shoe, only to realize it was a large, foul-smelling dead rat.
In his privilege speech at the City Council yesterday, November 4, he shared that he was pleased to see fresh meat, fish, and vegetables for sale when he went to the Old Public Market with his wife but felt disappointed after the unexpected encounter with the dead rat.
“To my dismay—akala ko ako ay nakaapak lang ng isang sapatos, ngunit nang tingnan ko, ito po ay mabaho na patay na daga na napakalaki,” he stated.
Carbonell stated that the management of the Old Public Market appears to be degrading, and sanitation appears to be neglected.
The market’s current state, he added, is unpleasant for consumers, sellers, and city tourists, especially with cleanliness concerns looming.
Reflecting on this, he posed the question, “Ito ba ang ating syudad na noon ay umani ng halos limang taon bilang Cleanest and Greenest City in the Philippines?”
“Sana ito ay makarating sa mga namumuno dyan,” Carbonell said.
He urged the management of public markets in Puerto Princesa City to conduct inspections, including at the New Public Market in Barangay San Jose.
City Council, meanwhile, is expected to invite the management of the public market and the engineering office to shed light on the matter.
