BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan urged the over one thousand night market vendors to strictly comply with the stringent rules and regulations being enforced by the local government in the night market area along Harrison Road and not to give chances for the critics to lobby for the eventual closure of the area for such purpose.
The local chief executive claimed that concerned offices of the local government documented numerous violations committed by the night market vendors, especially in maintaining cleanliness in their assigned areas among other violations that could result to the suspension of the vendors in doing their trade.
“We urge the night market vendors to do their part and not to await the action of concerned offices relative to their recorded violations that could result to the eventual stoppage of their vending activities,” Domogan stressed.
He underscored that the night market serves as a source of livelihood of thousands of sidewalk vendors displaced from the strict implementation of the local government’s anti-peddling campaign, as it also serves as a major tourist attraction for foreign and domestic visitors frequenting the city aside from being a source of income for the local government to fund some of its priority development projects and enhance the delivery of basic services to the people in the different barangays.
The local government generates close to P1.5 million monthly from the regulatory fees paid by the over 1,067 night vendors who do regular business activities along the 500-meter stretch of Harrison Road, one of the major national roads in the central business district area.
According to him, the night market operation has been criticized by some sectors of the city and the night market vendors must strictly comply with the rules and regulations being implemented by the local government and not to allow the critics to have the opportunity of raising issues and concerns that could result to the eventual stoppage of operation of the night market activity.
He claimed that the night market is serving its purpose as an alternative source of livelihood for the displaced sidewalk vendors that is why it is important for the vendors to abide by the rules and regulations that have been put in place to ensure cleanliness, orderliness and the peaceful conduct of the operations.
He emphasized that the night market operation along Harrison Road is on a temporary basis considering that it is a national road where the said activity is actually prohibited, thus, the local government is currently looking for a site where the night market vendors could be relocated that will serve as the permanent venue for the night market to sustain the conduct of the activity which had been providing residents with sustainable source of income.
Initially, the city’s night market operation was done inside the Baguio Athletic Bowl before it was transferred along Harrison road where it started to flourish as one of the major sources of livelihood of the people and an added tourist attraction for visitors wanting to purchase quality ready to wear clothes.
The local government is setting its sights on the perimeter of Melvin Jones as a possible site where the night market vendors could be relocated.
By Dexter A. See