BAGUIO CITY – The City Council Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce and Agriculture will be meeting with concerned stakeholders of the different satellite markets in the city on Friday, April 21, 2017 to thresh out issues and concerns regarding the operation and come up with ‘win-win’ solutions regarding the situation of the vendors.
Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr., committee chairperson, informed the satellite market vendors that the city government has conducted an inventory of all the satellite markets which was reported during the Market Summit held last month and that some of the satellite markets are located within government properties and such markets are allegedly operating without an authority from the local government which means that such operations can be considered as de facto.
The committee will be meeting with the vendors of the satellite market vendors at Bayan Park at around 10 am at the Bayan Park covered court beside the Bayan Park barangay hall which will be followed by a separate meeting with the satellite market vendors at the Alfonso Tabora satellite market at around 11 am.
In the afternoon, the committee will be meeting with the vendors of the satellite market in Gibraltar at around 1 pm to be followed by another meeting with the satellite market vendors of Pacdal at the Pacdal covered court just beside the Pacdal barangay hall at around 2 pm.
Yangot said the committee wants to sit down with the concerned stakeholders for them to discuss their predicament considering that the local government intended to develop the area being currently occupied by the vendors as modern day satellite market.
According to him, among the innovations that the local government intends to introduce is to provide parking for the satellite market and that the stalls be compliant to the zoning requirements of the city.
Yangot encouraged the concerned stakeholders to actively participate during the scheduled meetings so that the committee will be able to gather their inputs on how to undertake the proposed development in the satellite markets to make the said facilities an added trade centers in the barangays that will help spur economic activities in the said areas.
He said that the satellite markets in the different parts of the city are being envisioned to be one of the potential relocation sites of ambulant vendors in the city’s central business district area to help reduce the congestions in the city’s public market.
Yangot asserted strengthening the operation of the satellite markets in the different barangays will definitely provide increased sources of livelihood of the local residents engaged in economic activities in their barangays and will empower residents to patronize the operation of the said markets for the betterment of the city’s economy.
The alderman said the committee will decide whether to conduct additional rounds of consultations with the concerned satellite market stakeholders depending on the results of the initial talks with them next week.
By Dexter A. See
