One of the more progressive suburban streets in General Santos City these days is Aparente Avenue, which used to be an old farm road leading to the banana plantations of Stanfilco in the 60s and up to the early 80s.

Right now, Aparente seems to be the favorite of investors and developers as rows of commercial buildings have been sprouting like mushrooms here, one after the other.  One of these is the JMP Building of Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao, located near the National Highway crossing, a mixed-use edifice which houses a disco bar, restaurants, a sports bar, a spa, Jinkee’s own boutique and many more.

Then there’s the row of buildings at the Aparente-Salvani Street (Block 8 ) junction which has two new rows of commercial buildings, one of which has just opened two months ago.

The second one which has just finished construction a few weeks back has not opened any of its doors yet but passing by the L-shaped structure at the entrance of Pacheco Subdivision just a few meters from the Aparente-Lacap junction, Bariles noticed this tarpauline hanging from its facade.

It’s a streamer announcing the opening of another Mercury Drug outlet at the unnamed building and this time, it is the Mercury Drug – Aparente Avenue Branch.

This latest outlet of Mercury Drug comes right at the heels of the opening of its North National Highway Branch last month and the Robinsons Place branch early this year.

This one will be their seventh outlet and will be serving the needs of the subdivisions and villages of Barangays San Isidro and City Heights, two of the bigger barangays this side of the Tuna Capital.

Whoa!  Three branches of Mercury Drug opening up in GenSan in a year’s time!  Where the next following branches will open up soon after is anybody’s guess!