The Baguio public market is now again in the limelight. There are a lot of noise from the market vendors opposing its development. The market now is almost the way it was since time immemorial.
It has become dirty and smelly, the anti-thesis of what a modern and healthy vending place should be. No zoning at all. You see fish and meat being sold in all corners. Some right by the door of dry goods stores. Some on makeshift tables where vendors just pour water over the fish every now and then to maintain their fresh appearance, and there is no decent drainage where the water would go. That water would just go to the road or pathways, causing the stench in many areas. Well, that can also be a tourist attraction. Exh. “A” on how not to run a city properly.
For 26 years the development of the market had been pending largely due to the case filed by the vendors to stop the putting up of a huge building there that might cause their being displaced.
Now the case/s had ended and its time to turn a new leaf.
So many just shrug off the wrangling on the mode of development. Their attitude is just to do away with the unhealthy and antiquated situation. Just remove or get the stench away.
When talking of modernizing these days it means “cement development” or putting big concrete structures. Why not just turn the place into a park or a park cum market with small cottage like stalls. The place is wide enough if all those dilapidated structures are demolished and start on a blank slate.
And to complement the process of supplying the “market needs’ of the people, establish small but modern “talipapas” in the barangays. That might even lessen the congestion in the city’s business district. It also would spread out economic opportunities.
Yes, decentralization of the functions of the public market might be the ultimate solution. It can go along with whatever redevelopment that might be done that must avoid resulting in too much congestion in the city center—which always has hellish effects like gridlock traffic and pollution of all sorts.
In sum, a green park cum market is the only environment friendly way to go in the market’s development. Complement that with modern and clean “talipapas” in the barangays should be the best way.**