Businessman Jose Tan expressed strong dismay over the situation, saying, "This was not the plan during the hearing called for by Councilors Alex Paglomutan and Wilson Gamboa, Jr."
"It was very clear then that a temporary parking lot for our delivery vans and a one-way clearing will be provided for vehicles. Now it's totally in contradiction with the proceedings of that hearing. Why was there a hearing in the first place?" Tan asked.
"The truth is, at around 3 p.m., vehicles are already being asked to vacate and the place begins to be topsy-turvy," Tan narrated.
"One time, a lamp post of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) sparked and Ceneco maintenance men were unable to render immediate repair. They have to make bridges out of their ladders to reach the post. Think of the difficulty," Tan said.
"What if there's fire? Kabay pa waay lang (I pray, God forbid)," he also said.
While it is true that fish vendors clean the place after using, Tan asked where they drain their wastewater with solid waste. “Soon the underground drainage will burst and the Bonifacio area will be flooded. All businesses including the vendors will lose profits.”
"In the first place, there are no market supervisors, no legal department operatives, nothing as far as implementation is concerned," he added.
Tan reiterated his description of Bacolod as “The City of Smell” because of the foul odor resulting from the decision to make Bonifacio street as a fish vendors' plaza.
Meanwhile, Bacolod Filipino-Chinese of Chamber of Commerce, Inc. (BFCCCI) president emeritus Alfredo Barcelona believes in cleaning up of the market area.
"But not to sacrifice other businesses there. It is not just the Chinese retail businesses that suffer there but also the carenderias, barber shops, masa mart, fruit stands among others," Barcelona said.
Barcelona stressed, "What the City should do is to study the feasibility of satellite markets. Bacolod Central Market is already fully saturated and, therefore, must be decongested. The most feasible is to construct satellite markets where no one is sacrificed."
