By IRENE CEBA
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — In consonance with the 45-day restoration work at the burnt sections of the Baguio City Public Market, displaced vendors who built temporay stalls in the area are dismantling their structures and transferring to the tent-stalls set-up by the city government.

The tarpaulin stalls are set-up in a perimeter immediately outside the old market buildings, in front of the Marharlika center and in the market place center. The restoration work is in “full swing,” said Baguio City Market Superintendent Policarpio Tamayo. 16.5 million pesos is allocated to cover the restoration of the roof and walls of the market.

Councilor Elaine Sembrano admits that numerous requests has reachhed her office to extend the market area to accommodate more vendors. Unfortunately, she said, the present number of vendors is the maximum occupancy. The restoration work will be in the same area and with the same number of stalls, the only thing new is the alleys will be designed for more facility.

Councilor Sembrano expressed her dismay over the shelved proposed plan of 10 years ago for the modernizaton of the public market which, according to her, would have been the answer to their request and to the general problem of the market.

She said that the project aimed to accommodate more vendors but the plan has been blocked by the vendors association, so the city government could not do anything so far.

Tamayo said that the best solution for now, is to rehabilitate the market phase by phase. He doubts if the project for modernization is still affordable for the city government, as the cost ten years ago may have doubled now.

Meanwhile, Councilor Nicasio Palaganas, as the one in charge for the city’s employment, said that his new proposal “Integrated Livelihood, Employment and Cooperative Program in the City of Baguio” might help as well. This project will provide the Baguio residents multi-source income.

He encourages Baguio residents to join this cooperative because they will be given a benefit of opportunities to engage in some micro enterprise, opportunity for employments, and they will be given a training for opening their own business.

Now this proposal was approved on their regular session and his next proposal was for the city to come up with a cooperative bank. The main benefit that the member will get is the assurance that the people who is engaging in business will be guided and loans will be provided if needed. # nordis.net