Baguio’s Solution to Illegal Vendor Problem: Create Night Markets
Above is a photo of the Panagbenga 2007 Night Market at Session Road in Bloom. These are well lit and the decor pretty on the occasion of the Baguio Flower Festival, although in recent years the items for sale have been lacking in originality and quality.
Baguio has a problem with illegal vendors.
The city absolutely REFUSES to catch or penalize them. Thus they are all over our parks, sidewalks, overpasses, and even on the streets at certain times of the day, like Kayang.
In fact, the city fathers have decided to go one step further. Instead of shooing them away, the illegal vendors are now to be rewarded with stalls in night markets to be held in 10 locations within the Central Business District. The city wise men are actually CREATING night markets for them.
According to Midland, the ordinance is co-authored by a majority of the city councilors; that the areas for multiple flea and night markets from 7pm to 12 midnight are the following: flea and night markets are the eastern side of Harrison Road, the whole Ganza parking area, Lower Mabini, Diego Silang, Claudio Street, half of upper Kayang Street, the road connecting T. Alonzo Road and Magsaysay Ave., and the road between Sunnyside and Pilando building.
“It is observed that there is an upsurge in the proliferation and mushrooming of vendors in public parks, sidewalks, overpasses, and any available space in the central business district with vendor traffic becoming a major problem in Baguio,” reads the proposed ordinance.
Sunstar, on the other hand identifies Calderon Street as another area; that Trade Provincial Director Freda Gawisan said that electronic devices should not be allowed to be sold therein “only be sold in electrical shops, as they have to be inspected and conform to product safety standards;” that the vendors oppose the Php50/night fee.
However, Gawisan said the fees are reasonable for some of the funds, which will be used for the hiring of additional employees to monitor compliance with the night market policies, will be subsidized by the City Government.
It is evident via the ordinance that the city recognizes that there is a problem with illegal vendors. But the reason there is a problem in the first place is because the city refuses to enforce local laws against illegal vending. It has gotten so bad already that there are people who will offer you a haircut or a manicure in Burnham Park.
So now, the city ‘wise men’ have come up with what I am sure they think is a Solomonic decision” — give them a venue using public roads where the city will have the legal right to collect fees from them. You see, if they allow the vendors to remain on Burnham Park, they cannot legally collect fees from them as parks are supposedly beyond the commerce of man (Lisa: Yeah right! It is the city itself that has institutionalized commerce in the parks).
But, as you may have noticed, in the Philippines ROADS are not beyond the commerce of man — in fact, in Divisoria and Balintawak, vendors are allowed to occupy streets. In Manila hawkers are allowed to approach your vehicle selling barquillos, flannel cloths and sampaguita.
In fact the sampaguita syndicates have finally arrived in Baguio: there are little children putting on a long tearful tone begging you to buy from them. Ah, it seems that there’s a lot of sampaguita growing in Baguio now more than ever.
Honestly, I dislike the thought of night markets. Especially since the items being sold in Baguio, day and night, are cheap China imports you can get in Divisoria or second hand clothing (the other things sold extensively, of course, are stolen cellphones). It would be great if, like the night markets abroad, we would sell only OUR creations. But in the Baguio setting, there is very little encouragement to produce indigenous crafts. In fact, with the mayor’s paradigm shift away from tourism, the old market goodies will no longer see the same volume of sales.
Right now, even the peanut brittle and strawberry jams are “fake” — those sold at 3 or 4 for Php100. Just a lot of sugar. Just so you can give folks pasalubong. No quality control whatsoever. And do not even attempt to buy bee honey from those selling in the middle of the aisles in the market, by the way. Ja-FAKE!
Some visitors like night markets, but the classier kind. Where they can get local stuff, not the same items they can get elsewhere. And, not because there’s not enough shopping to be done in Baguio all day. It’s just that there’s nothing to do at night. Before, there were discos for the young and a casino for the oldies.
Now there are few decent night spots. I can only name you 3 or 4 bars worth visiting, and only because I know the owners. Otherwise, your car and your person is in danger of getting hurt by the many brawls by Baguio gangs and little criminals.
Honestly, we cannot fight city hall, especially since the councilors do not possess the political will to put a stop to the illegal vending. In fact, I believe that these vagrants are being coddled by higher political and administrative powers, because some of them are so brazen and belligerent and so “out there.”
Why do you think this is so? To increase their voter base, of course. So that this cycle of absurdity can continue in Baguio forever.
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Postscript: Why was I not blogging as much? Because these things consume me. As in ‘consumida.’ And at this age, one must take care of the blood pressure. Hahaha.
Ok, kidding, aside, it’s true. Every negative thought or feeling actually diminishes me. Ask those who know me, I actually am a jolly person!
So what to do next, we lobby, we write letters, we petition, we oppose, we boycott the night market, we stop our family and neighbors from patronizing them until they stop being viable.
Unless of course, you are the Baguio resident who is absolutely thrilled at the prospect of night markets in 10 locations, and in paying for the education of the children of the illegal vendors, and encouraging even more people without any other means of income, or without any skills whatsoever, to migrate to Baguio.
Lisa, as my niece would say, confused na talaga ako. I myself question sometimes, ano na ba ang tama, what is right, what is wrong, ano na ba ang ‘good taste’ o bad taste? Too much spin on things now. I read that article in the Baguio Midland Courier where councilor Palaganas seemed to justify illegal vending.
For me, as long as the measure will take out the illegal vendors from our sidewalks, overpasses and our parks, it’ll suit me fine.
Hi Resty,
Illegal vending is, by the very nature of it’s title, ILLEGAL. There are penalties and sanctions for that. Not rewards. Same as illegal gambling.
We JUSTIFY everything. This move is reminiscent of when Domogan was mayor and he started allowing them to sell on the sidewalks because he was threatened, “Kasya naman magnakaw kami”
Tyranny of the poor, coddled by the politicians. We do not reward excellence as much as incompetence and bad motives in this country. How good can that be?
^^
The ‘poor’ have manipulated the politicians. Those poor who justify their illegal activities are scums like the corrupt politicians. They deserve to be poor. Darn.
Hiya Amber,
The poor do not manipulate the politicians. It’s the politicians creating problems (through the failure or refusal to do their jobs) and manipulating the law-abiding taxpayers into accepting their solutions to problems that THEY created!
It’s like Gloria Arroyo being responsible for the scenario of a rice shortage, focusing the ire of the people away from economic policies and agriculture towards the importers — and threatening them with economic sabotage — and then being the ’savior’ by fixing the problem eventually. Just so many Filipinos are afraid to remove her because “Walang Papalit”
THe politicians of Baguio, as in the rest of the country LOVE the poor, like to keep them poor and uneducated so that they can stay in power.
This leads me thus to think there is no intelligent vote in Baguio — or maybe the good people are just not wanting to run for office.
lisa:
how true are the things i’ve been hearing that the gsis property near baguio convention center will be made into baguio’s version of eastwood? good lord, i’ve been away for so long, and this is what happens!
Maybe the police should be more ruthless in their dealings with all things illegal in the city enable to make baguio a safer and cleaner place to live in. That would be nice… hehe
Hi Bok,
When I used to accompany college student friends to the Police Stations on the occasion of brawls on Legarda Road and at Nevada Square (circa 2000-2005), I would point out the the cops that these incidents are criminal, and should be treated as such.
They would always respond, “Not enough space in the Baguio jails.”
Solution? Build larger jails. Illegal vendors are not even fined. Hmmm… I wonder why…
I find it kinda funny that these things are allowed to happen especially when those people selling in the streets think that THEY OWN the streets.
Let me tell you a story [I'm not making this things up because what I'm about to say happened to me]
I have a hole in my left head [the size of my palm] because one night, while walking down lower session road with a friend, I bumped into a side walk vendors kid. The kid was young and small [maybe 3-5 years old I cant really tell] and since he was small, he fell down and cried. The child’s mom [who was a street vendor] shouted frantically and called her husband and her husband called some people. I was surrounded by them and I got 2 punches from them: one at the back of my head and one at the left side of my head. It should have been okay but the problem was they punched me using brass knuckles. The ironic part of the story is that no one helped. no police showed up and it was between 6 - 7 pm. When i reached the hospital of the sacred heart [SLU hospital], I didn’t know that my injury was serious but when I felt that my strength is draining, i knew something is terribly wrong. Scans showed that I was suffering from internal hemorrhage [internal bleeding in short]. I was operated then and It took me 2 weeks to recover.
If you dont believe me, ask Dr. Mensalvas. He’s the one who operated on me. I think he has an office in the SLU hospital.
All I’m saying is that the government is allowing them to stay making them think that they are above and beyond the law and in the end, making them think they can push the people of Baguio around.
I just hope that what happened to me wont happened again to others, I was “lucky” to survive that but others didn’t.
*PS: that incident happened 3 years ago and it forever changed my life and my future. If you want to ask more questions, feel free to email me at packerofwar@yahoo.com or if you are a student at SLU you can just see me at Outer Haven or at Rovines [its near gate 3]
Acid Rayne,
I am so sorry to read about what happened to you. It upsets me also that no one helped! Honestly, call me ‘paki-alamera’ but if we all started be concerned and not be afraid people would called it meddling, there would be less crime, less corruption, and less complacency.
It is that apathy that is killing this nation. Those criminals with brass knuckles, honestly should be run out of town! And the licenses of those stores selling belts with knives, pens with knives should be revoked.
That’s what upsets me also with having Baguio populated with strangers. It was so quaint before the earthquake. But don’t get me wrong — the earthquake did not ruin Baguio (we rebounded pretty fast). It’s the lack of vision, good taste and good intentions thats ruining the city.
We must consciously turn things around! These illegal vendors must go back to where they came from!
Lisa, it seems to me that our city officials are actually scared of the vendors, mostly migrants to the city. Those vendors in Burnham are actually getting bolder and bolder. Setting up their tables partly on the walkways around the lake so that when there are customers, the walkways that are already narrow become narrower for the pedestrians.
Scared? Maybe. Increasing their voter’s base? Hmmm …
Maybe the politicians are afraid they won’t get re-elected by the intelligent voters of Baguio.
Hay naku Resty, I had ordinary zoom lens when I took those photos last Feb in Burnham Park. Their being there is so brazen they must receive (or must be paying for) some kind of protection. Like they’re entitled to be there.
So I was thinking, what if I set up my one table and make like an illegal vendor? Just to see who’ll shoo me away.
Well, I’m just curious…
Is Baguio City becoming richer or poorer?
With all the foreigners, price increases, and all that “projects”: are we supposed to expect something good to happen in the months to come? Or will we simply be disappointed by such wishful thinkings?
Hi Bok:
A month ago somebody broke into our house and stole some of our stuffs to include my little girl’s t.f. We reported everything to the police pero the police said “gawa na lang po kayo ng sarili nyong imbistigasyon”. A week ago I saw two teen age boys having shabu session in a vacant lot near UC Lab, again I went to the nearest police station to report the incident, but they asked me to go to Station 1 instead there were three of them one of them hid the bottle of blue gin and the other police tried to entertain me pero sa amoy pala I know they’re drunk, so I told them na “it is still too early to do some drinking spree and nakaunipormne pa kayo sir…” the three of them stood up and inquired more on the incident. Siguro lang as ordinary citizens we should also do our part to be vigilant about everything around, about the government, the employees in the government, and other authorities as well. We can consider the two incident as crimes pero no one got interested in trying to help us solve that crime, illegal vending pa kaya. Yes they confiscate the goods of illegal vendors still they’ll return it back after paying P1,000.00.The question is where is the money? But no one bothered to ask someone where did the money go.
Hi Mr. Baguio,
“Are we supposed to expect something good to happen in the months to come”
I learned from experience that the city is only as good as its citizens, and that we cannot expect good things to come if we do not make it happen OURSELVES. So maybe the key here is to stop expecting and just doin some rapid prototyping (i.e. JUST DO IT) of what we want to happen, and feel empowered even as ordinary individuals.
Pao, you’re oh so right!
“Siguro lang as ordinary citizens we should also do our part to be vigilant about everything around, about the government, the employees in the government, and other authorities as well.”
Camera phones are our best weapons at this point — document everything that happens, post it on blogs, write to the mayor, send it to Mission TV, make noise, reclaim our city!
I agree that those were crimes and that our police force though relatively honest is too afraid to enforce the laws without fear or favor — I’ve had my share of incidents robberies, thefts, serious physical injuries (the latter when I would escort my young college friends who are involved in brawls as the adult companion) and the cops will always say, There’s not enough room in our jails.
Solution: Build bigger jails, wouldn’t you say?
Hey Lisa, if you run for the mayor of Baguio City, I’d vote for you!:) Fantastic website you have here; very informative and honest. I really wish Baguio City would return to its glory days. Call me an American dog (tuta ng mga Kano) but I think the presence of the Americans gave Baguio City its charm. When they left, all hell broke lose. Several renovations later, it got worse.:(
Hi Atomic Sushi,
I truly believe Baguio can reclaim its glory days if we only had folks in charge, and folks in residence with good taste and a deep love for the city.
Alas, a lot of the folks here today never even knew Baguio during the glory days — and those of us who have watched it transform (all man-made ugliness, by the way) are in complete pain…
But all is not lost. We start with the individual residents — ask them to maintain a nice garden, to protest any proposed flyovers, the cutting of trees. We have to make each Filipino understand that wealth comes from the earth, that we can find the deepest good in our core and radiate.
No running for mayor for me — but any mayor can have my services for free.
Hi Lisa,
Just want to share this.
Hope it won’t affect any of your business interests;
Regards
Bantay
http://greenbaguio.multiply.com/photos/album/9/Believe_it_or_not…this_is_Baguio_today
Hi Bantay Busol,
Of course it will! But it will also serve to wake people up.
A foreigner commented once how they like to take photos of beautiful landmarks, Filipinos like to take photos of squatter areas and squalor. Maybe because they have the will to eradicate poverty and will not tolerate squalor.
Apparently the folks living in Baguio can! For it is they who dump the garbage all around instead of working to control the garbage.
Welcome to reality web!