Baguio gov’t bids out 62 public market stalls

By Jessa Mardy P. Samidan

BAGUIO CITY -- Sixty-two stalls at the Baguio City Public Market were bid out on Wednesday for new leaseholders.

The Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) published the bidding of the said stalls early this month after contracts were terminated due to failure of the leaseholder to pay rentals while other stalls were found out to be subleased and some were even sold to private individuals.

Most of the stalls were located at the Meat Section including some stalls at Block III, Vegetable Section and at the Second Hand Hangar area.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan said the BCMA oversees the management and operation of the city’s public market to ensure that leaseholders abide to policies such as timely payment of rental obligations, cleanliness and orderliness with the help of the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) personnel.

“The city government owns the city public market and therefore, subleasing or sale of stalls to another individual is in violation of the lease contract and is a primary ground for termination of contract,” Domogan explained.

                He said if the leaseholder cannot personally tend to the stall, the lease contract must be surrendered to the BCMA for it to be published for bidding.

“If the leaseholder died, the heir or family member shall apply for the stall if they want to continue operating business at the public market, however, the stall is not an automatic inheritance since they have to comply with the bidding process,” Domogan said.

He furthered, the BCMA found out that one stall whose leaseholder died is being sold by a family member at Php4 million in violation to the “no selling, no subleasing” rule at the public market.

Domogan warned the public not to be duped by stalls being sold or being subleased. He said interested individuals should only transact with the BCMA office and personnel at the market.*