Budget Officer Leticia Clemente reported on the Session Road Sunday Showcase during the management committee meeting of local officials Sept. 20.
From December 2020 to September 2022, the showcase has been conducted for 66 Sundays, accommodated 4,146 stalls and recorded a total of P49,220,486.75 in gross sales with total collections from special permits fees amounting to P1,991,376.
Issues that cropped up include the use of multiple trade/association names; selling of imported and counterfeit products; some products are similar to those at the city market; concept of al fresco dining is not being followed; and indivi-duals registered in the application form are not the same as those actually manning the booth during the activity proper.
Her report re-commends the following: Use of online registration system to avoid long queues; products from the Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, Tublay should be the ones displayed and sold; rationalization of fees; and Session Road concessionaires pay for the use of sidewalk and extension of their area.
It was also recommended the number of buskers per Sunday should be limited to 50; assess the impact of pedestrianization to traffic, exhibitors, visitors, and residents; and set guidelines to be followed by all exhibitors and to be used as basis for the imposition of sanctions.
Clemente said she gave the presentation to solicit more recommendations from other officials for the Sunday Showcase’s improvement and whether or not it should be temporary or made permanent.
The Sunday showcase started in July 2019 with a proposal by the Mayor’s Office for the closure of one lane of Session Road as an experimental plan for pedestrianization.
It also aims to intensify promotions and marketing of medium, small, and micro enterprises’ products to the domestic market; provide a venue for MSMEs to sell their products and improve market linkages; and promote the results of MSMEs product development, increase consumers’ awareness on products compliant to quality and safety standards; help MSMEs directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic to recover, especially those who do not have an avenue to sell their products; and enliven culture, arts, and crafts through the conduct of various culture and arts-related activities.
Activities at Session Road include product showcase and selling, art and performance activities, socio-civic activities, and information and education campaign booths by different government line agencies. – Gaby B. Keith
April 26, 2024
