Baclaran community seeks help vs flea market chaos

Baclaran flea market. Source: alabangbulletin.com

The Baclaran religious community has sought the help of  Vice President Jejomar Binay in restoring order around the shrine area where disorder – caused by vendors clogging the roads and sidewalks, reigns apparently with the approval of the Parañaque City government.

A representative of Binay assured the community that the Vice President would be briefed on the issue and possibly broker talks among stakeholders.

“I’m certain that the Vice President, being a former mayor himself, would be keen on initiating a more fruitful dialogue between the community and the local government,” said Binay’s chief political officer Henry Caunan.

Father Victorino Cueto, rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, said the city government’s manner of sanctioning the disorder caused by flea market traffic along Redemptorist Road and nearby streets led them to look for other people to turn to for assistance.

Outside church walls

“The issue is outside the church’s jurisdiction since it is not within our walls. The area being government property, it should be the government who should deal with the situation,” Cueto said.

The priest said the city council appeared to be skirting around a provision of the local government code which allows local government units to put up temporary trade fairs.

He pointed out that the city government puts week-long breaks in between flea market runs to avoid any run-ins with the law.

The July flea market season was to end on September 30, according to a city ordinance that allowed the putting up of stalls.  But Cueto said another ordinance was in the pipeline for yet another market season that would cover October to January next year.

“It seems they are not looking for a permanent solution to the problem, by skirting around the issue,” he said.

The priest also cited the various signs of urban decay in the Baclaran area.

Apart from the chaotic streets, roads are perennially flooded after it rains, caused by a clogged drainage system.

Missed opportunities

The disorder around Baclaran also resulted in missed tourism opportunities, he added.

Baclaran has a huge potential as a pilgrimage site, Cueto said.

But the shrine is often overlooked and its attraction as magnet for overseas shoppers looking for inexpensive goods is ignored because of the chaos around its walls, Cueto said.

The priest said the community was able to gather over 100,000 signatures in support of the initiative to restore order in the area.