BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance seeking for the establishment, management, construction and adjudication of six modernized satellite markets in the city.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Philian Louise Weygan-Allan states that the management and ownership of the district satellite markets shall never become corporations, individual enterprises or partnerships and the same will be operated by the city government, thus, it is encouraged that at the end of 10 years the stakeholders will be organized as a cooperative and eventually manage the same, otherwise, it will remain to be owned and managed by the city.
The ordinance stipulates that the city legislative body shall establish modernized barangay public markets and authorize the operations of the same and be considered as a satellite market as its main purpose is to decongest the city public market, provide economic activities and income to the people in the barangays and to prevent ambulant vendors in the outskirts of the city.
The ordinance added the 6 sites where the satellite markets are being proposed include the Irisan-Naguilian Road cluster, Marcos Highway cluster, Asin Road cluster, Kennon Road cluster, Pacdal-Ambuclao Road cluster and Ambiong Road cluster.
Under the proposed ordinance, the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) shall design the market building that should be presented in a public hearing before being submitted to the city legislative body for approval and eventual construction and that the design of the satellite market building should include the necessary adequate toilets, rain catchment facility and cisterns if possible, parking, sewer and garbage facilities as well as seating areas or a tree park.
The ordinance claims the markets should be constructed to provide a space for parking spaces, stalls and offices which are not less than 2 by 3 meters and food karts or stalls which are not more than 2 by 2 meters.
The ordinance states the construction of the market buildings shall be funded by allocations from the city government as part of the city’s annual investment plan or any other available funds of the city and other funds will come from donations, loans or other available government funds.
However, the ordinance asserted the construction of the proposed satellite market buildings shall never be funded through a private-public partnership (PPP) where the private partner will manage and own the public market.
Further, the construction of the market buildings shall follow the required bidding and award processes and procedures.
By DEXTER A. SEE