P264K needed to light up city night market extension

BAGUIO CITY –  The night market along Harrison Road here which had become a tourist must-see, will be extended to adjacent Perfecto St. but the city government needs P264,000 to light up the stretch.

               City Engineer Elpidio Garabiles informed Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said that the proposed amount for the lighting of Perfecto St. will include the supply of Light Emitting diode (LED) which will be used in the said area to help in saving energy expenditures for the night market extension area.

Earlier, the Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) approved the extension of the night market along Perfecto St. purposely to accommodate the increasing number of walk in vendors and the number of individuals proposing to be included to vend regularly in the night market area to sustain the robust growth of the night market as a source of livelihood for residents and the local government and to provide tourists with an added area to visit during their stay in the city.

The BCMA ordered the City Engineering Office to immediately prepare the cost estimates for the lighting of Perfecto St. and the timetable to be followed so that the areas could be used to accommodate the walk in vendors who are always in the waiting list to vend in the night market along Harrison road.

Garabiles also forwarded the prepared cost estimates to City Treasurer Alex Cabarrubias for him to work out the funding that will be used for the project so that their office will be able to implement the lighting of Perfecto St. so that the local government could already use the area as the extension of the city’s night market operation.

The BCMA will start screening the qualified applicants for slots in the night market extension area once the measurement of the stalls and the lighting of the said area shall have been completed by the City Engineering Office.

However, the night market extension area along Perfecto St. will only be used as a venue for vendors to sell dry goods to ensure cleanliness and sanitation in the said place once the assigned vendors will leave their designated areas at the end of the nightly activity.

               Garabiles proposed that the funds to be used in the marking and lighting of Perfecto St. could be sourced out from the trust fund of the night market operation so that the said activities could be completed the soonest for qualified vendors to be able to occupy their designate slots after the tedious screening process.

The BCMA underscored the approval of the extension of the night market operation along Perfecto St. will help decongest the 500-meter stretch of Harrison road which is the site of the night market that will prevent petty crimes that affect lax security in the night market.            

The night market is one of the most frequented areas in the city, especially at night, because it is where people converge and purchase their desired quality ready to wear clothes. -- Dexter A. See