City Engineer Lito Hernandez said the construction was delayed due to bad weather. It was supposed to be inaugurated on the first quarter of the year, but then the heavy rains came since May.
The city government loaned P64 million from the Land Bank of the Philippines, through the Asian Development Bank, under the Mindanao Basic Urban Social Services Program (MBUSSP) of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to construct the terminal, one of the biggest in Southwestern Mindanao.
It can accommodate several buses, vans, and multicabs plying the different areas in the region.
Hernandez said that before the construction finally ends on October 5, it would still undergo final inspection.
“We’ve been waiting for this. And finally, we’re set to inaugurate this structure on October,” said Hernandez.
The modern terminal has several amenities, including a wide waiting area, baggage area, security offices, administrative building, and several rest rooms. Along the perimeters of the main building, several fruit stalls and eateries were constructed. There will also be “pasalubong” center for local and foreign tourists.
The city is set to celebrate the fruit festival from Oct. 9 to 15, where everyone can eat for free several kinds of fruits — among them the exotic durian, rambutan, mangosteen, lanzones, mango and banana — prepared on a three-kilometer stretch along the highway.
“The inauguration and eventually, the start of the operations of the terminal, can help make this year’s fruit festival a success,” said Hernandez. (Malu Cadeliña Manar / MindaNews)