Relocation sites for market vendors in city assured

BAGUIO CITY – (12 March 2021) – The city will have more than enough spaces in the identified relocation sites for the more or less 4,000 vendors in the public market once the proposed development of the facility will be undertaken through a company that will be chosen by the city’s Public Private Partnership for the People – Screening Committee (P4-SC) to undertake the multi-billion development project.

During Wednesday’s dialogue with market vendors, Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong identified three relocation site of legitimate market vendors at the Slaughterhouse compound, Rabbit sinkhole and at the BIBAK property where there will be more than enough spaces for them.

He informed the vendors that the local government will again conduct another round of inventory to ascertain the actual number of legitimate market vendors and appealed that they provide truthful information on the situation of their stalls to guide the city on future steps to undertake on the said matter.

He claimed that the initial inventory that was conducted by the city was not completed because it was difficult to cull out information from the vendors and those whom they assigned to look after the stalls leased to them by the local government.

The local chief executive reiterated earlier assurances that were made by city officials that no legitimate vendors and stallholders will be displaced when the proposed development of the city public market will push through as there will be more than enough stalls that will be made available in the two floors dedicated as the market that will be solely managed by the city.

According to him, the development of the public market will have to pass through a stringent process to determine the company that will serve as the city’s partner in the implementation of the multi-billion development project as the desired improvement of the facility is inevitable due to the current sad state of the same.

The mayor explained to the vendors that the process enshrined in the city’s P4 Ordinance is stringent that is why there is no guarantee that SM Prime Holdings, Inc. which was earlier given by the city the Original Proponent Status (OPS) for the project will be the one to implement the project as the terms of reference being currently crafted will be subject to Swiss Challenge where all companies interested to partner with the city for the project will be required to submit their proposals that are superior to that of the proponent.

At present, the city’s P4-SC is working on the negotiation of the 34 terms with the proponent for the determination of the final terms of reference of the project that will be offered to the Swiss Challenge where the consortium of market cooperatives could also participate for the realization of the market development project.

Magalong asserted that the city is already left out by other local governments in the different parts of the country in terms of the state of its public market, thus, the need to pursue the proposed development of the facility as it is the city’s show window being one of the country’s premier tourist destinations. – Dexter A. See