Following the decision of SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI) to withdraw its proposal to develop the Baguio City Public Market under a public-private partnership (PPP) scheme, the city government said it will no longer entertain unsolicited proposals related to the public market until a master development plan (MDP) is completed and formally adopted.
During its regular session on January 5, 2026, two days after news of SMPHI’s withdrawal broke, the Baguio City Council passed a resolution (Resolution 02-2026) expressing the city government’s intent that no unsolicited proposals for the redevelopment of the public market be entertained in the absence of an MDP.
Signed by Mayor Benjamin Magalong on January 19, 2026, Resolution 02-2026 states that accepting unsolicited proposals before the completion of the MDP may “compromise the integrity, coherence, and strategic direction of the city’s development efforts.”
The resolution stressed the need to ensure that all future proposals are consistent with an approved MDP to promote “transparency, accountability, and orderly development.”
During the same session, the Baguio City Council also passed Resolution 01-2026 which formally acknowledges SMPHI’s decision to withdraw its unsolicited proposal.
Also signed by Magalong on January 19, 2026, Resolution 01-2026 resolves to treat the proposal as withdrawn, with no further review or action to be undertaken by the Baguio City Council.
With this acknowledgment of the withdrawal, all documents submitted by SMPHI in support of its proposal will be returned, and the proposal will be formally delisted from the city’s pending PPP projects. **Jordan G. Habbiling
