Melvin Jones eyed as night market, entertainment hub

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan disclosed the Baguio City Market Authority is seriously considering the perimeter of the Melvin Jones grandstand as the permanent site of the city’s night market to put order in said activity and accommodate more vendors who want to sell goods.

“We will not distort the present status of Melvin Jones since it will still remain as one of the city’s major sports facility,”Domogan said, adding what the local government will do is to concretize a portion of the perimeter of Melvin Jones and place sand and gravel to make the area conducive for night market activities, especially during the rainy season.

At present, there is an average of 1,000 vendors in the temporary site of the night market along Harrison Road and they are contributing around P1 million monthly to city coffers.

Once the city government is able to locate a permanent site for the night market, Domogan said innovations will be introduced in the conduct of the night market, particularly allowing the performance of entertainers during the activity which will serve as a crowd drawer so that many people will be enticed to visit the area and buy their desired products from the vendors.

               

Under the present set up, vendors wanting to sell their products in the night market shall pay the amount of P50 per day or a total of P350 per week to the city treasury office in exchange for a vending card so that they will be able to have a slot in the limited spaces for the night market.

               

Pending the institutionalization of the night market through an ordinance, Domogan said the administrative order that he previously issued outlining the guidelines for the conduct of the night market will still prevail, thus, vendors should strictly adhere to the rules being implemented to guarantee law and order along Harrison Road during the night market activity.

               

According to him, one of the major problems being encountered by members of the public order and safety division securing the night market area is the improper disposition of garbage by the vendors, thus, he ordered the personnel of the city government deployed in the area to closely monitor the compliance of the vendors in the disposal of their garbage to ensure that the area will be clean once the vendors will leave at around 12 midnight.

               

Domogan said the conduct of the night market is to make sure that vendors will be able to earn sufficient income to sustain the living condition of their families, thus, they must cooperate with the rules and regulations being imposed by the local government to guarantee law and order in the area.

               

He urged officers of associations of vendors to police their own ranks to lessen burden of city personnel so they could attend to other concerns.             

Despite stringent regulations imposed by the local government in the area, the city treasury office continues to receive reports about leaders of vendors associations who allegedly underdeclared number of vendors who actually participated in the night market.