Night market extension being finalized

IN a bid to accommodate the hundreds of walk in and interested vendors in the night market, the city government here is in the process of improving the parking spaces along Perfecto St.

Despite the significant number of objection on the proposed extension, the Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) decided to pursue the plan of including Perfecto Street as night market area.

About 160 vendors will be accommodated in the extension area with spaces uniform to the spaces occupied by the night market vendors along Harrison Road.

The BCMA will announce the availability of the additional slots for interested night market vendors once the City Engineering Office will complete the measurement of the spaces to be leased and the installation of the appropriate lighting fixtures along the extension area.

Meanwhile, the city’s plan of transferring the night market activities along the perimeter of Melvin Jones football ground is still being studied.

Mayor Domogan stressed once the plan will materialize, Harrison Road will be free from traffic congestion, safer for both vendors and patrons and it will be more attractive to the public.

The local chief executive tasked the city engineer’s office and city buildings and architecture office to coordinate and finalize the plan so as to come up with an estimated budget for the said project.

For years, one lane of Harrison Road is being used from 9pm to 4am for the night market vendors with around 1,100 individuals selling of clothes, shoes, accessories and even street food. The city collects P50 per night from each of the vendors. The city collects an average of P1.5 million to P2 million per month from the night market during the peak season, but declines to less than P1 million during the rainy season.

Apart from the additional income to be derived from the said extension, what is more important is to give livelihood to regular walk in and interested vendors, stressed Domogan. Jho Arranz