The local government of Parañaque is eyeing to build what it described as the largest Kadiwa Market in the Philippines called the Baclaran Gateway Market. 

According to the Parañaque City Government on Wednesday, the facility is set to provide permanent stalls for around 2,000 to 3,000 vendors, many of whom occupying sidewalks in Barangay Baclaran and at risk of penalties for illegal vending. 

“What we are doing now is simply maintaining control with order. We cannot take away their livelihood since thousands depend on it. But it must be in order,” Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez said. 

The planned 10,000 square-meter market will be located beside the LRT-1 Redemptorist-Aseana Station. Olivarez said the project builds on the existing Kadiwa programs through the Consumer Welfare Office. 

“These efforts have already been in place for a long time—our Kadiwa Market here in the City of Parañaque, through our Consumer Welfare Office—so that we can bring all the basic goods closer to all of our 16 barangays, especially the produce coming from the provinces,” Olivarez said. 

The Baclaran Gateway Market is expected to help stabilize prices and ensure food security across the 16 barangays of the city. 

According to the city’s Public Information Office, the project is a priority plan of the local government, although no date has been set yet for its groundbreaking.