THE Baguio City Council Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce and Agriculture will be meeting with concerned stakeholders of the different satellite markets on April 21 to thresh out issues and concerns regarding the operation and come up with “win-win” solutions regarding the situation of the vendors.
Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr., committee chairperson, informed the satellite market vendors the City Government has conducted an inventory of all the satellite markets which was reported during the Market Summit held last month with some satellite markets located within government properties and are allegedly operating without an authority from the local government.
The committee will be meeting with the vendors of the satellite market vendors at Bayan Park at 10 a.m. at Bayan Park covered court followed by a separate meeting with the satellite market vendors at the Alfonso Tabora at 11 a.m.
In the afternoon, the committee will be meeting with the vendors of the satellite market in Gibraltar at around 1 p.m. to be followed by another meeting with the satellite market vendors in Pacdal at 2 p.m.
Yangot said the committee wants to sit down with the concerned stakeholders for them to discuss their predicament as the local government intended to develop the area currently occupied by the vendors as modern day satellite market.
Yangot added among the innovations the local government intends to introduce is to provide parking for the satellite market and the stalls be compliant to the zoning requirements of the city.
The city official encouraged the concerned stakeholders to actively participate during the scheduled meetings so that the committee will be able to gather their inputs on how to undertake the proposed development in the satellite markets to make the said facilities an added trade centers in the barangays that will help spur economic activities in the said areas.
He said the satellite markets in the different parts of the city are envisioned to be one of the potential relocation sites of ambulant vendors in the city’s central business district area to help reduce the congestions in the city’s public market.
Yangot asserted strengthening the operation of the satellite markets in the different barangays will definitely provide increased sources of livelihood of the local residents engaged in economic activities in their barangays and will empower residents to patronize the operation of the said markets for the betterment of the city’s economy.
The alderman said the committee will decide whether to conduct additional rounds of consultations with the concerned satellite market stakeholders depending on the results of the initial talks with them this week. (PR)