LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

Baguio traffic and the market revisited
MARCH L. FIANZA

Talking to a couple of old family friends who have been occupying their stalls since the late 50s, they said the Baguio market has deteriorated as it has become too commercialized. Inside the vegetable section building, one finds food stalls – carinderia style. The same is true at the ‘black’ market section and shoe market.

The bangus, tilapia, shrimps, tahong and other fishes were allowed to swim out from the fish stalls to the caldero section. At the center aisles between the rice and vegetable sections, we now find stalls that sell CDs, DVDs, cell phone cases, and sari-sari things.

No one has power control over the seeming disobedience to established zoning rules other than city hall. That is why the market has established a carinderia section. Canteens may be allowed in privately-owned buildings around the market.

Baguio’s new and present crop of elected executive and legislative officials may not be blamed for the deterioration and abuse of zoning rules in the public market because they were not there when the problems came. But they have the power to clean the market mess that is why they are elected into office. Unless they deliberately do not see that, or unless they succumb to private interests.

But if you ask me or the other people who do love Baguio, we say the latter crop of officials would be the best ‘choice’ now and forever, so that Baguio will continue to be praised for having a well-organized market. To make it more colorful and for easier access, we can sell vegetables in between the stalls of the rice section.

Let us hope and pray our officials will also permit meat vendors in between the clothes’ stalls. Oops..! Before I forget, the stalls in front of the Hangar market that sell Benguet coffee grind now double as beauty parlors.

In the same conversation with the market couple, they complained of very unreasonable taxes that are collected from them. The taxes are too unrealistic that these can not be met with the actual income from their sales. They chose to stay unidentified for obvious reasons.

According to them, the treasurer’s office dictates or shows the market stall occupants unrealistic computations of taxes. This leads to ‘negotiations’ or agreements that are initiated by fixers. For whose favor the deals are made – we hope these are done for the city and not for anyone’s pocket.

The market is a big mess not only within but around it. They admit that to fix or to put it back in very good shape is not an easy task. But there are areas there where we can start. It is not a job for city hall alone. It needs the cooperation of all, they said. They suggest that parking discipline and traffic along the Magsaysay road stretch must be studied.

I agreed with the couple right away since that is any Baguio motorist’s personal experience. Any time during market hours, meaning from 7AM to 7PM, anytime of the year – private and public vehicles occupy the road from the Dimalanta overpass up to the overpass that leads to the Malcolm Square.

This constricts the flow of traffic daily. And not even the presence of a dozen or more cops can loosen that because they seem to be there as “watch-your-car” boys or private security guards for the car owners. Loading and unloading time for the traders and market goers must be scheduled so that the road is free from obstruction as much as possible.

Motor vehicles along the Magsaysay stretch must keep on moving because that road has not been widened. In fact it has been narrowed with the construction of the permanent island with tomb-like flowering boxes that were made to satisfy the greed
of a politician-contractor in the late 90s.

Well, traffic in the market too is not looked into because our police heads are busy with other things. And personally, I am in favor of maintaining our police executives in the city because they finish their jobs early. This can be proven by the fact that you find them in the golf course everyday. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com