Behavioral change sought in market clean-up

Mayor Benjamin Magalong pressed for discipline and behavioral change among stakeholders to make the ongoing city market clean-up effective.

“We need to go beyond cleaning up after them. In fact, we need to do something more than just physically cleaning up. We have to instill concern, responsibility and accountability among the market entrepreneurs, traders and patrons for a sustained clean-up program,” the mayor said.

The mayor was irked that despite regular clean-up operations, inspections and meting out of penalties, same violations persist at the trading center.

For instance, the act of throwing wastes at the rooftop of some structures remain unabated regularly commanding the attention of authorities.

“I can’t fathom why this disgusting practice of throwing garbage at the rooftop continues despite previous efforts to address the same. We need to do something more than cleaning up after them,” the mayor said.

He directed the City Market Office superintendent Ceasar Emilio for more meaningful measures starting with identifying and penalizing the culprits.

The same is observed in other sections of the market that remained sullied despite the interventions done.

“We have to institute behavioral change otherwise all our efforts to clean our city market are useless if these disgusting practices of some unconscionable people go unchecked,” the mayor said.

A recent inspection of the city market by city authorities revealed “widespread and severe” breach of sanitation and safety regulations prompting the removal of illegal makeshift structures and conduct of intensive clean-up of the different sections.

In the past months, repeated warnings and issuance of citation tickets were done to those with illegal partitions and unusable equipment in violation of Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) Resolution No. 008-2019 and those engaging in unsanitary food preparation practices and other sanitation and safety regulations lapses.

A general cleaning campaign was also launched at the various sections of the city market to address severe sanitation problems that included rat and cockroach infestations, uncovered food, slippery and murky walkways, makeshift sleeping quarters on rooftops, drinking and smoking dens, trash-filled stalls, dirty surfaces, coconut water contamination, and poor ventilation causing a strong odor. – Aileen P. Refuerzo