STANDARDIZED GUIDELINES PROPOSED FOR SESSION ROAD CREATIVE SUNDAYS

February 8, 2025 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY

The Baguio City Council has called for standardized guidelines for the operation of the Session Road Creative Sundays to address issues of fairness, consistency, and accountability. During their regular session on February 3, 2025, city council members noted the lack of clear written guidelines for participants which reportedly resulted in
varying interpretations of the regulations.

They said such guidelines should outline clear and specific rules particularly regarding fee collection to avoid complaints of overcharging and selection of participants and to address complaints of favoritism. Raymund Sakiwat, one of the event organizers, said that issues such as accusations of favoritism arose due to the lack of written guidelines.

He explained that some grievances came from rejected applicants, particularly market vendors and sellers of goods from Maharlika whom the Tourism and Special Events Division of the city government had instructed them not to accommodate. Sakiwat explained that while Supervising Tourism Officer Aloysius Mapalo had verbally conveyed instructions, different organizers interpreted them in various ways because there was no official document.

He also revealed that some event policies were not being followed due to these differing interpretations. With these ongoing issues which could lead to further discrepancies and misunderstandings, Sakiwat concurred with the city officials that there is a need for long-term guidelines as event organizers would inevitably change over time. Despite a previous commitment for the creation of written guidelines, none had been produced so far.

Meanwhile, the city council also stressed that the City Tourism Office must submit its overdue report on the event.
In December 2024, the city council requested a consolidated 2023-2024 financial report on the Session Road Creative Sundays, as well as an assessment of its social, economic, and traffic impacts. The city council members
previously raised concerns over discrepancies in fees charged by organizers and those collected by the Permits and
Licensing Division.

The Session Road Creative Sundays is an event where a portion of Session Road is transformed into a pedestrian-friendly space for cultural, social, and economic activities. It evolved from the previous Market Encounter which expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to include merchant fairs aimed at supporting local livelihoods.
However, by 2022, the focus shifted back to cultural and socio-civic activities in response to complaints of over-commercialization.

The event was then renamed Creative Sundays. The event is managed by third-party organizers whom the City Tourism Office enlists to curate activities based on specific themes. These organizers handle operational aspects including collecting fees from participants. Regarding the impact of the closure of Session Road on traffic every
Sunday, the city council decided to invite the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Baguio City Police Office and the Traffic and Transportation Management Division of the City Engineering Office to one of its sessions to present their
opinions on the matter.

JGH/SP