Councilor bats for additional satellite markets, improvement of existing ones

Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr. is pushing for the passage of his old ordinance seeking to establish additional district satellite markets in the city as well as strengthen the existing ones.

Under the proposed ordinance, an amount of P5 million shall be allocated from the general fund of the city government for the said purpose.

The City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) shall be tasked to identify potential areas in districts for the possible construction of additional satellite markets.

Likewise, the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) shall be tasked to submit to the Baguio City Council through its Committee on Market, Trade, and Commerce a periodic report of the status of all the satellite markets in the city.

Yangot stated in his proposal that some existing satellite markets are not officially included and recorded as part of the city’s public market.

“The Baguio City Market Code provides that satellite markets form part and parcel of the Baguio City Public Market; and thus, the city government is duty-bound to include them in its areas of maintenance, management, and operation,” Yangot wrote.

“This legislative edict is being pushed to strengthen the existing satellite markets in the city, include them in the management, maintenance, and operation to ensure sustenance and continuity of operation as well as to establish additional satellite markets where the establishment of such is needed,” the councilor added.

The proposed ordinance was first introduced by Yangot in 2016. It was referred to the Sanggunian’s Committee on Market, Trade, Commerce, and Agriculture in September 2016, but it has not been acted upon since then.

It was recently refiled by Yangot and was approved by the city council on June 18, 2022 during its regular session and was referred to the Committee on Market, Trade, and Commerce for review.

To date, the current administration has already established and redeveloped four district satellite markets. These are located in Gibraltar Barangay, Bayan Park Barangay Village, Middle Quezon Hill Barangay, and Dominican Barangay.

Based on a list provided by the City Planning and Development Office, there are about 30 to 35 identified existing satellite markets in the city that were constructed from 1989 to present. –Jordan G. Habbiling