A public-private partnership to be sought by the city government of Cagayan de Oro may be the solution to the reopening of the Gardens of Malasag.
This was the contention of Councilor Joyleen Mercedes Balaba, committee on tourism chair, during a February 2 interview.
It can be recalled that last month, the management of the Gardens of Malasag announced its closure “with a heavy heart” through a post in their Facebook page.
“Effective today, we will no longer accommodate new bookings and reservations,” the post dated January 7 stated.
But as early as last year, talk has been that the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), which runs the place, could no longer afford to maintain its operations, prompting Balaba then to push for City Hall’s intervention.
Balaba pointed out that the most financially sound measure for the city government to intervene is to enter into a public-private partnership.
Coincidentally in December 3 last year, TIEZA ended its contract with DENR to renew lease on the place.
At the time, reports also surfaced that the land that the resort was sitting on was not part of DENR’s protected area though but owned by the city government, encouraging Balaba to push for City Hall’s intervention.
During that month, a technical working group inspected the place to explore that possibility.
They are expected to deliver their report before the committee soon.
