March 28, 2024

The city government will prepare the uniform guidelines on the closure and use of Session Road, which will be effective after the transition period this November and December.
City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente said the four Sundays of November will be devoted to artists and artisans to sell their crafts and art works while the four Sundays of December will be dedicated to sellers of Christmas decors and other related products, aside from the regular conduct of busking and other performances allowed by the city government.
She said by next year, the city government will use a new set of guidelines on the use of Session Road for selling and other purposes to address complaints from market vendors who claim the products sold by the stalls at Session Road are similar to the ones they sell at the public market, causing undue competition.
Aside from the regular busking activities, other activities allowed along Session Road are chalk art and other artist performances.
Under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, local governments can close roads for one up to seven days through an order that will be issued by the concerned local chief executive.
However, when the closure of roads exceeds seven days, the same requires an ordinance from the concerned local legislative body.
Clemente said the closure of Session Road on the four Sundays of November will focus on the display and marketing of the city’s crafts and art works, which is part of the lined up activities for the staging of the Ibag-iw Festival to help maintain the status of the city as a Creative City for Crafts and Folk arts by the Unesco Creative Cities Network.
Baguio City was conferred by the Unesco Creative Cities Network on Oct. 31, 2017, as the first Philippine city to be declared a Creative City for Crafts and Folk Arts after having passed the stringent screening.
Clemente said the technical working group assigned to formulate the new guidelines on the closure of Session Road every Sunday will be ready with the new rules in time for the New Year. – PIO release