BAGUIO CITY– The Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) has approved the proposed extension of the night market area to include the parking spaces along Perfecto Street to accommodate the hundreds of walk-in vendors nightly.
The city government is looking to improve the area for convenience and safety of all vendors and the public as the night market on Harrison Road continues to gain popularity among locals and tourists.
Dexter See of the city information office on Monday said the decision was reached by the BCMA to accommodate the huge number of walk-in vendors wanting to sell their goods at the night market area along Harrison road nightly, provided the goods to be sold are purely dry goods, to guarantee cleanliness and orderliness in the area.
Initially,160 vendors were eyed to be accommodated in the extension area of the night market as per the initial inspection conducted by the City Engineering Office.
Currently, the night market area on the stretch of Harrison road has 1,068 vendors nightly – 960 are dry good vendors, about 60 are food vendors while some 48 are so-called roving sellers.
Better lighting system and fixtures will also be installed in the area to illuminate the walkways and to give the buyers the chance to see the quality of their purchase.
Policemen including barangay tanod and personnel of the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) are also assigned to provide security.
Operating for about a decade, the night market which starts from 9:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., brings in an average of PHP1.5 million month income to the city’s coffers which is derived from the PHP50 per night paid by the night market vendors.
The night market has become a major tourist draw for both foreign and domestic visitors wanting to have one of those expensive branded clothes at a lesser cost. Its operation has also provided sustainable sources of income for vendors wanting to earn from the selling of their goods and an additional income for the local government without much capitalization. PNA-northboundasia.com