Sari-sari section alteration and barangay share

THE City Council in its regular session last Monday acceded to listen to a request from stall owners occupying the sari-sari section of the City market for the alteration of their stalls to include bodegas and upper metal covers wherein to store their goods.

Among those who attended the invitation of the city council and who presented their points of view on the matter include Engineer Oscar Flores of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), Chief Inspector Joe Fernand Bangyod, City Fire Marshall of the Baguio Fire Department, and Ms. Angela Leyco and Ms. Ernestina Gajes representing the stall owners at the sari-sari section of the city market. During the inquiry conducted, Ms. Gajes and Ms. Leyco reiterated their position of requesting the city to allow them to alter their stalls in order to provide for bodegas and upper metal covers to which Engr. Flores adamantly opposed explaining that the reason for the open spaces on the upper portion of the stalls at the said section was purposely to provide sufficient ventilation in the said area. Flores stressed that under the original design for the rehabilitation and restoration of the sari-sari section of the city market, which was razed by fire in recent years, premium was placed on ventilation and lighting of the said section as well as remove possible breeding places for rodents. It may be recalled that in 2008 and 2009, fires razed several portions of the city market to include the sari-sari section. It may also be recalled that when it was finally rehabilitated the city government extended new lease contracts to the victims of the fire through Resolution 276-2008 accommodating original lessees grounded on humanitarian consideration.

Fire Marshal Bangyod of the Baguio Fire Department also opposed the request of the sari-sari stall owners to alter their stalls citing the possibility of increased fire hazards in the area. To complement his opposition to the said request Bangyod displayed pictures through a Powerpoint presentation showing some stalls at the sari-sari section and the vegetable section already having their upper portions altered and with some already utilized as storage areas for good and products.

The members of the august body after listening to the observations presented by the personalities invited and after answering queries posed, decided to refer the said request to the Committee on Market for further study and recommendation and to incorporate all comments and observations made relative to the said matter.

On another matter, the city council decided to await the legal opinion to be provided by the City Legal Officer on a letter request from Punong Barangay Camilo P. Tacbas of Sto. Niño Slaughter Compound Barangay requesting for a 1 percent share from the abattoir to be added to their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA). During questioning by the members of the august body, Punong Barangay Tacbas clarified that they are requesting for the additional share from the fees and taxes collected by the city from the operation of the city abattoir considering that the slaughterhouse is within their territorial jurisdiction and supposedly they share responsibility in the cleaning and sanitation of the area. Tacbas further explained that it is the barangay that conducts clean-up drives for some of the waste generated by the abattoir that passes thru canals which supposedly end-up in a river tributary.

On the part of the city Budget Officer Atty. Leticia Clemente, she posited that the request of Sto. Nino Slaughter Compound Barangay for a 1 percent share from the abattoir operation cannot be granted because she cannot find any basis in law.

After listening carefully to the positions and observations presented, the city council decided to refer the matter to the City Legal Officer for his legal opinion on whether there is any legal ground to support the request of Punong Barangay Tacbas for an additional 1 percent share from the city abattoir.