Petition to Malacañang stopping night market alarms local officials, vendors

July 14, 2018 Metro BLISTT

Over a thousand vendors attended the public hearing at the city hall after the whistle-blowing of a petition that was forwarded to the Malacañang allegedly seeking to stop the night market operations in Harrison Road.
Alarmed by the petition which caught the city officials unawares, city councilor and committee on market, commerce and livelihood chairperson Leandro Yangot Jr. on July 10 scheduled an emergency meeting with the constituents and all night market vendors on the afternoon of July 11. He said the petition was submitted by two private individuals to the office of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Several issues and complaints were raised during the public hearing.
Market Superintendent Fernando Ragma Jr. started to express his sentiments on the lack of sanitary discipline of the night market vendors and their neglect in wearing their given IDs.
Ragma also emphasized the progressive profile of the Harrison night market which contributed about P18 million to the city’s coffer on 2017 and P9 million during the present midyear, based on the report of the City Treasurer’s Office.
Lawyer Mae Buliyat of the city legal office tried to explain to the vendors that the Harrison Road is a national road and is not allowed for other commercial use under Republic Act No.917.
The early set up of the vendors at Harrison Road was also questioned by the city engineering office due to the complaints of pedestrians which also causes traffic problems along the road. The vendors are required to set up on or 15 minutes before 9pm but some start as early as 7pm.
Baguio City Police Office Director Ramil Saculles also requested for the cooperation of the vendors to the city orders to prevent traffic congestion since a single traffic problem from one part of the city affects the entire city.
He also informed the vendors of the new anti-tambay policy of President Duterte and issued warning that law violators will be arrested.
The city director also tackled the issue on terrorism threat saying that the bombing in the night market of Davao City is also a possibility in other crowded public places even in Baguio. He cautioned the vendors and the public to be vigilant and helpful in safeguarding the city.
Yangot promised to lay down the closure of night market, as contained in the petition, if the vendors will abide by all the rules and regulations set to them.
The night market vendors claimed during the forum that the night market is their source of livelihood and pleaded for the local government to let them continue. Most of the vendors are single parents and elderlies who stressed that they cannot avail anymore decent jobs because of their age and the night market is a good privilege for them.
The vendors agreed to submit a consolidated position to the market committee to discourage the petition.
The Harrison night market is comprised of 94 slots of food section, 951 slots of dry goods, 12 roving slots of sunglasses and 10 roving slots of coffee with a total of 1,067 vendors. The market is open regularly from 9pm to 2am. It has an average of P1.4-million monthly collection for the city. DEBORAH AQUINO, UC Intern / ABN