Friday, August 29, 2008 Traders, porters agree on trading post practices By Jane Cadalig
STAKEHOLDERS at the vegetable trading post agreed to implement a uniform, and an accreditation and ID system to standardize the practices within the facility.
Porters and traders within the trading post agreed to the accreditation of vegetable porters before they could be allowed to deal with traders and other stakeholders in the area.
Porters are individuals who carry vegetables from the farmers' trucks and deliver these to traders inside the trading post.
Under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the various stakeholders, porters are required to register with the accredited porter's association before dealing with traders and other business groups.
Each porter will be issued identification cards and uniforms, which must be worn at all times while they engage in their work.
There are about 800 to 1,000 porters in the trading post. The Benguet Traders and Truckers Association reported that only 500 are registered with the accredited porter's associations.
Stakeholders within the trading facility meanwhile are mandated to tap only the services of the registered porters.
