THOUSANDS of vendors selling along roads and sidewalks in Baclaran may soon be transferred to a permanent market as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) plans to begin construction of a new commercial complex this year to address decades-old congestion in the area.
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes disclosed the plan during the agency’s pilot episode of “Kwentong Kalsada” podcast on Friday.
Artes said the project seeks to provide vendors with a decent, organized, and sanitary place to conduct business, and to clear the roads and sidewalks frequently occupied by vendors near Baclaran Church and major transport hubs.
Construction is expected to start this year, with the facility targeted for completion before Christmas next year.
According to Artes, Edwin Olivarez, and Emi Calixto-Rubiano, the presence of vendors occupying roads and sidewalks in Baclaran has been a problem for about 50 years.
He described the planned market as the “ultimate solution” to the long-running issue, saying the goal is to provide vendors with a proper place to earn a living while restoring order on surrounding roads.
Artes emphasized that the project is not intended to remove vendors from the area.
He said many of the vendors rely on their stalls to support their families, making relocation to a proper market preferable to repeated clearing operations.
The MMDA chief said the project will be undertaken in partnership with the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the local governments of Pasay and Parañaque.
Also, Artes said that the planned Baclaran Market will be accessible from the Light Rail Transit system and the Baclaran Church and will feature parking facilities, a transport terminal, a Kadiwa ng Pangulo distribution area, and designated spaces for vendors currently occupying roads and sidewalks.
Artes said transferring vendors into the market would allow authorities to keep roads passable while preserving the livelihoods of thousands of people who depend on Baclaran’s bustling commercial activity.