City gov’t set to order Baguio market vendors to vacate rented stalls

By Dexter See

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the city is ready to give out notices to hundreds of vendors to vacate their stalls at the city market here since a portion of the facility will be improved.

After constructing Block 3 of the Baguio City public market with a total project cost of P18.5 million, the city government with a P26 million budget will develop Block 4 since premises of the market have been declared as fire hazards.

The partial development being done in the market is with the consent of the earlier winning developer of the whole market which is the Uniwide Sales and Realty Development Corporation but the more than P1.7 billion market development project is not yet implemented because the case is still pending before the Court of Appeals after disgruntled market vendors appealed the decision of the lower court upholding the constitutionality of the market development project.

Once the project will be completed within the next several months, Domogan added the local government will push through with the development of the old market building located along Magsaysay avenue which is a wooden structure prone to fire.

Despite the opposition, Domogan cited there are more vendors and the city’s population who are in favor of the market’s facelift.

Although Baguio City is a highly urbanized city, it has a market which has not yet been fully developed compared to the market structures in the neighboring first-class towns of Northern Luzon.