BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan underscored that the local government will not be cutting any tree within the Melvin Jones football ground when the improvement of its perimteter will be implemented to pave the way for the transfer of the night market area to the said place.
The local chief executive pointed out that it is unfortunate that there are some city officials who are spreading alleged disinformation regarding the plan of the city to improve the perimeter of the Melvin Jones football ground to be able to accommodate the night market vendors who will do their trade in the area.
“We are on the process of finalizing the plans for the project which will be submitted to the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority for the provision of the required funds that will be used for the said purpose,” Domogan stressed.
He claimed that the primary purpose of relocating the nigh market vendors to the perimeter of the Melvin Jones football ground is to free the portion of Harrison road that is being used for the city’s night market operations which has now become a popular tourist destination in the Summer Capital.
According to him, it is admitted that the night market is generating substantial funds for the local government with less infrastructure investments aside from providing a sustainable livelihood for the over 1,000 night market vendors who do their trade nightly.
Domogan emphasized the relocation of the night vendors to the perimeter of the Melvin Jones football ground is the identified permanent solution by the local government to prevent the overcrowding of Harrison road during the night market operations.
Aside from the put up of concrete pavement around the perimeter of Melvin Jones football ground, he claimed one of the priority projects of the local government this year is for the installation of sufficient lighting around the area to provide illumination for the night market operation in the said place.
The local government’s night market operation has been going on for over a decade now and it had been generating close to P1.5 million monthly income that had contributed to the generation of added resources for the city’s priority development projects and basic services.
The conduct of the night market has been conceptualized to accommodate the displaced ambulant vendors when the local government implemented its aggressive campaign to rid the city’s sidewalks from the proliferation of sidewalk vendors.
Domogan explained that once the night market operations will be relocated to the perimter of the Melvin Jones football ground, the spaces that will be allocated to the vendors could probably increase to allow the vendors and their customers to freely move around the area for convenience purposes.
The local government is collecting P50 per night per vendor as the regulatory fee for the use of the spaces designated for the conduct of their trade and that the payment should be made by the concerned vendors in advance the week prior to their desired time to do their business.
By Dexter A. See