02/12/2025
I grew up around the Baguio public market.
My family has been part of it for decades, sourcing coffee and produce from the people who keep this city alive.
In my fieldwork and in our daily business, Iโve seen how the market supports Indigenous farmers, migrant vendors, porters, small retailers, and families who rely on low rental rates to keep food affordable.
This is why the proposed SM-led redevelopment matters.
This isnโt just about โmodernizedโ infrastructure or building.
This is about who gets to shape the future of a public space that has always belonged to the community.
When SM cut 182 pine trees at midnight to build a parking structure, the impact did not end on Luneta Hill. The new structure brought more vehicles into the area, which contributed to slower jeepney routes and heavier congestion around Session, Harrison, and the city center. This is one example of how private development can quietly reshape how a city moves. Infrastructure changes daily life because it reorganizes movement, access, and the flow of people.
The proposed market redevelopment will reshape these flows too. A mall-style complex at the heart of the city will change where people enter, gather, buy food, or wait for rides. It will alter how vendors move goods, how farmers bring produce, and how consumers navigate the city center. When a public market becomes a corporate space, mobility shifts with it. These are the kinds of long-term changes that cannot simply be reversed once they take root.
Baguio deserves redevelopment, but not mallification.
Not higher rents.
Not displacement.
Not another space redesigned for profit instead of people.
Public markets must remain publicly led and community shaped, accessible to everyone, and grounded in the relationships that keep the city alive.
MARKET FOR ALL, NOT FOR MALL.
Sources & Further Reading:
SunStar Baguio โ SC bans tree-cutting at mallโs expansion site
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/local-news/sc-bans-tree-cutting-at-malls-expansion-site
Manila Bulletin โ โCourt junks TRO vs redevelopment of 2 public markets by SM Prime in Iloilo Cityโ
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/19/court-junks-tro-vs-redevelopment-of-2-public-markets-by-sm-prime-in-iloilo-city/