Baguio Public Market: The Heart of Baguio

A wise Monash student once said that in order to truly understand the city you visit as a tourist, you have to visit the local market. Baguio’s Public Market truly embodies the local experience. Situated at the end of Session Road, the Baguio Public Market is the heart and pulse of this university cum tourist city. The market is the newer establishment of the previous market place which was burnt down in the 60s.

If Session Road draws the largest crowd of students, tourists and local folk, then the market is where all of them throng to get everything under the sun. Mornings at the Baguio Public market is a sight to behold. The Baguio Public Market ‘experience’, as I like to refer it as, comes in two parts. The first part is the actual market itself which sell local fruits, vegetables and best of all, local delicacies and popular food items like week-old chicks (tiny chicks strung up on sticks like our Malaysian satay), grilled fish and different types of glutinous rice.


Although the Baguio Market is in many ways similar to Malaysia’s dying legacy of old markets, it proved to be truly fun coming across things that you couldn’t find anywhere in Malaysia. One example are the fresh strawberries laid out as common as mangoes back home. Another is the wide array of gorgeous potted flowers. Truly, both are the little-spoken benefits of being in a temperate climate.

However, the gem of the market has to be from the basement of the Maharlika shopping complex, which is connected to the public market. This second part of the market is undeniably a tourists’ paradise. One of the highlights in Maharlika’s basement are the numerous stalls selling woodcarvings that dot the floor. Although popular woodcarvings are statues of the traveler (no guesses why, for tourists!) and the Ifugao community’ Rice God (to represent a good harvest), one of the main items displayed are the dozens of Catholic-inspired statues and ornaments, a reflection of the Catholic stronghold here.


Nestor Celi Mamarli, who owns one of the woodcarving shops (where I purchased my Bolo) explains that his business, which he has taken over from his father, Pedro, has been in existence for over 50 years. The woodcarvings from his shop like many others, are from Asin, Ifugao, Banaue and even Manila. Albert, his assistant, explains that suppliers from these various places go to those places every three to five months to sell their products. From small ornamental wooden pipes to huge wall displays, the wooden products are mainly made from acacia, ebony or mahogany. Needless to say, I was rather impressed to discover that the Rice God statue I bought was made from mahogany wood!

No market anywhere in the world would be complete without ‘freaky’ souvenir knick-knacks. In the Baguio Public Market, the prize for the most unusual tourist souvenir would hands-down, go to the key chains and purses made from original frog skin. A ‘manang’* who sold a fearsome-looking one told me that the frog skins are made from bullfrogs and supplied from Pangasinan.


If the promise of frog skins and lovely woodcarvings are not enough to draw you to Baguio’s public market when you stop by, you don’t know what you are missing. It is a place that marries the rich local culture from all parts of the Philippines with practical tourist consumer culture. If anything, you will learn to haggle and do it well because the communicating with the locals is all part of the unforgettable ‘Baguio Market Experience’.

*manang: polite Illocano term to address older women. In Tagalog, 'ate' is commonly used for the same reason. (Thanks Maya!)

By Maxine