By Liway M. Yparraguirre

ROSALES – The Carmen-Rosales Central Transport Terminal will be moving soon to a new and permanent home.
Construction work at its new site near he Tarlac-Pangasinan welcome arch in this town, started after the groundbreaking ceremony held Thursday morning.
The activity was led by Mayor Ricardo V. Revita and Willy Tan, chairman of Hausland Development Corporation (project developer). Also present were Vice Mayor Romy Sim and members of the Sangguniang Bayan, Rosales Police Chief Ernesto Abuan and Hausland comptroller Mariano Tan and Legal Counsel lawyer Ryan Tan.
Tan said they expect to finish the modern terminal in three months.
The municipal government, at present is leasing a lot for its transport terminal in barangay Carmen at P1 annually from the Estrella family.
The first town of Pangasinan for travelers coming from Manila, Rosales is the virtual gateway to the Ilocos Region.
Barangay Carmen in Rosalesis strategically located at the crossroads of Pangasinan with transport vehicles serving routes as far north as Tuguegarao in Cagayan and Vigan in Ilocos Sur. To the east, routes go as far as San Jose and cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija and to the west to Dagupan City. More routes are seen to commence in the near future.
With the possible construction of an SM mall in Carmen, there is a need to organize the public transport system converging in Rsales via a central transport terminal.
When Revita assumed the mayorship, he established a common terminal to address the common problems along the national highway in barangay Carmen particularly near the junction where big buses and other public utility vehicles load and unload passengers.
“There were incidents of vehicular accidents such as commuters waiting for a ride being sideswiped by incoming vehicles. Or instances where passengers alighting from a bus end up losing their baggages as one tricycle driver herds themto ride in his tricycle while another one carries the baggage to lure the passenger to instead ride on his tricycle,” Revita said.
“Rosales town earned a bad image and we are changing that especially since our town is the first municipality of Pangasinan to greet visitors coming from Manila. Rosales actually serves as the first show-window of the province,”the mayor said.
On the transfer of the central terminal to a new site, the mayor said certain events forced them to think and map-out a long term program.
Revita said Shoe Mart (SM) had bought big parcel of lands near the temporary terminal, some of which were owned by the Estrellas, intended for the construction of a mall here.
“They’ve paid the necessary taxes. It is possible that they will later buy the lot where the terminal is and we have no other recourse but to move it out as the agreement between the local government and the lot owners will have become moot and academic,” the mayor said.
Thus, the idea of the municipality buying a lot for the common terminal. The lot eyed is owned by Hausland Development Corporation.
“We have to buy a lot while there are still available lots for sale,” Revita stated.
Instead of selling the lot, Hausland gave an offer for them todevelop the area and construct the terminal under a 70%-30% sharing scheme in the projected income.
“The new common terminal, including the lot, would need P33 million budget. So as not to burden the local government with a huge bank loan, we studied and agreed with their proposal,” the mayor remarked.
The two parties signed a 25-year contract.
Tan said Pangasinan is special to Hausland (it holds office in Pampanga) as their first ever low-cost housing project was the Villa Sta. Barbara which was started in 1994.