BAGUIO City Mayor Mauricio Domogan has ordered an investigation of all satellite markets in the city through the Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA).
Illegal extensions of markets set up in selected villages will now be subject to an assessment by the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) as well as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in line with road widening projects the city is undertaking.
Councilor Leandro Yangot, who sits as council representative to the BCMA which the chief executive chairs, said stall owners must comply with rules initially set prohibiting selling of stalls and subleasing.
Yangot said CBAO and the DPWH is in the thick of assessing satellite market spaces which overlap with road-right-of-way set by the public works office to move into widening projects the city needs.
The alderman said there will be no total demolitions, assuring the government initiated project of satellite markets will not be destroyed but merely pushed backwards to comply with DPWH rules.
Last week, Domogan directed the CBAO to meet with the DPWH to address the issue.
Included in the list of satellite markets to be assessed is the Camp 7 market whose stall owners trooped to the City Council this week to air their alarm over the project.
Yangot assured partial demolitions will only be adapted, saving stalls from losing their spaces.
He said a previous meeting with Camp 7 stall owners was conducted already informing of the vendors of the ongoing assessment.
The assessment is also in line with the city tax ordinance which places satellite markets under the supervision of the city.
Yangot said reports have reached his office that some stalls are in breach of agreements set with incidents of selling and rampant sub leasing which goes against rules of the BCMA.
The alderman assured all the issues will be dealt with as the investigation continues.
