LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal council approved on third and final reading a proposed ordinance providing policies, guidelines and regulations for the conduct of a night market in the municipality.
Ordinance No. 01, series of 2019 otherwise known as the Night market Ordinance was signed by Mayor Romeo K. Salda which will be implemented soonest.
The ordinance stated the possible locations of the night market are the area approved and authorized by the municipal council, the area declared as economic enterprise and a private area approved and allowed by the municipal council through an agreement.
Among the regulated acts include actual occupation by tenants and installation of their structures, paraphernalia in the designated area; only light structures and materials which could easily be folded, lifted and removed should be installed since the stay of the occupants is temporary; all structures, materials, paraphernalia and goods of any part shall be displayed earlier than 30 minutes before operating time; no structures, paraphernalia and goods of any part shall be left within the allowed market site or along any street; opening of the night market shall start at 7 pm until 3 am the next day; right after 3 am, all structures, paraphernalia and goods at the night market shall be removed by all the vendors and their respective premises cleaned up; occupants are responsible for the sanitation of their premises; occupants are obliged to place their solid waste in disposable containers properly kept for convenient collection by garbage trucks; occupants must maintain cleanliness and sanitation and should refrain from littering the area; liquid waste must be placed in a container and disposed accordingly; no solid waste shall be discharged to the drainage canals; prohibited goods are livestock, heavy and bulky hardware, lumber, pungent and odorous goods and alcoholic beverages; fees that will be imposed is P35 for every square meter occupied; occupants are also obliged to pay special night market permit fee of P150 per quarter, secretary’s fee of P50 per quarter, garbage fee of P25 per quarter, sanitary permit fee of P90 per quarter and that the fees must be paid weekly with the municipal treasury office to be accompanied by official receipts; a maximum of 4 square meters per occupant will be allowed; installation of electrical connections shall be shouldered by the municipality, provided that, it shall conform with the National Building code and Philippine electrical Code and other applicable laws and the occupants shall secure the necessary business permit and pay other fees in the conduct of the night market.
The qualifications of participants to the night market must be a voting resident of the municipality duly certified as such by the Commission on elections; possessor of a residence certificate, possessor of business or mayor’s permit; possessor of community tax certificate, barangay clearance, police clearance and voter’s identification card.
The ordinance stipulated that an application in the Office of the Mayor must be completely accomplished, filed and approved before the issuance of a night market permit and that the Office of the Mayor shall make and prepare application forms that will be distributed to the applicants.
The ordinance added that applicants with approved night market permit shall get their location assignments from the night market committee after the drawing of lots.
To maintain peace and order in the night market area, the municipal government shall assign police officers having jurisdiction of the re or the exhibitors may have the option to associate and engage the hiring of additional private security guards.
In case of emergency or fire near the vicinity of the night market area, the ordinance asserted that occupants must be alert and to speedily evacuate their structures and valuables to clear the road for the passage of the firefighting units and firemen.
The ordinance mandated the organization of the night market committee that shall supervise the operation of the night market wherein the same must be composed of the municipal administrator or the duly authorized representative of the mayor as chairperson with the chairman of the municipal council committee on market as vice chairman. The members of the committee are the chairman of the municipal council committee on tourism, chairman of the municipal council committee on ways and means, market supervisor of the public market, municipal legal officer, municipal engineer, municipal treasurer, local economic and investment and promotion officer and presidents of 2 accredited market vendors association in the municipality.
The ordinance stated that owners or occupants, sales boys, or sales girls, helpers and other personnel hired to work with the occupants must wear their identification cards duly issued by the municipality.
Among the considered illegal acts in the night market include the sub-leasing of the assigned area, occupants operating without an approved application, non-payment of fees by the occupant, violation of sanitary rules and non-wearing of identification cards.
Violation of any of the provisions of the ordinance shall warrant the imposition of the penalty of a fine of P1,000 for violators and will be a ground for disqualification in participating in subsequent night market encounters.
By HENT