Baguio night market time extension pushed

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Operating hours of the night market here which has caught the fancy of tourists may soon be extended.

Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said he was open to proposal of night market vendors for the extension provided they strictly comply with conditions on proper waste disposal.

He said the night market operation could be extend up to the wee hours of the morning the following day but this has to be discussed with vendors and Baguio City Market Authority so potential problems can be ironed out.

Vendors earlier urged the local government to allow time extension for them to recover huge losses as a result of monsoon rains.

Vendors proposed that the night market start around 8 p.m. and end 3 a.m. especially during rainy season.

Domogan said the BCMA will evaluate compliance of night market vendors to rules imposed by the local government so those who will be found not complying will be excluded from possible extension to be granted in the coming weeks.

Over 1,000 night market vendors occupy the 500-meter stretch of the right side of Harrison road for the night market operation that serves as one of the major tourist attractions in the city which operates from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.

The night market was approved by the local government over a decade ago to serve as the alternative vending area for sidewalk vendors who were displaced from anti-peddling campaign launched to rid the city’s streets from the proliferation of sidewalk vendors which was pinpointed by the Baguio-Boracay Re-development Task Force as one of the major eye sores in the city several years ago.

Previously, the conduct of the night market was done in the concrete portion of the Baguio Athletic Bowl before it was transferred to a 500-meter stretch of Harrison Road where the vendors tremendously increased to over 1,000 from the previous 400 vendors that originally started the night market activity.

Domogan appealed to the night market vendors for understanding in awaiting the decision of the BCMA relative to their request for extension.