Thursday, March 01, 2007 City Hall probes market rental mess By Lizanilla J. Amarga
CAGAYAN de Oro City Councilor Maryanne Enteria Wednesday vowed to investigate complaints from Divisoria night market vendors regarding persons posing as City Hall stall rental collectors -- complete with official receipts from the Office of the City Treasurer.
These con artists signed official receipts under the name "Maya E." as collecting officers from the City Treasurer's Office in the amount of P690 per stall last year.
Also, they had recently told night market vendors that Mayor Vicente Emano and the City Council have approved an increase in their rental fees to P2,023 per stall this year.
"I will call for an investigation on this matter," Enteria said, adding that she is even willing to meet with the night market vendors herself and will render a special report on this controversy during their regular session this Monday.
In several interviews with Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, night market vendors who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal from City Hall officials said a certain Tony Casiño and those with him informed them last February 16 that their new stall rental rates is now pegged at P2,023 per stall for the entire year.
The night market vendors last February 23 even initiated a meeting to discuss this increase in their stall rental rates and to beg City Hall for reconsideration.
The vendors said the increase in their stall rental rates was made without any notice and consultation unlike in the previous years.
"P2,023 is such a huge amount for us considering that some of us here are only earning through consignment," one ukay-ukay (used clothing) vendor said.
She added that they could no longer pay such a huge amount considering that they are not earning that much and are only allowed to do business at the streets of Divisoria Park for two days in a week and only between 6 p.m. to 12 midnight.
Another ukay-ukay vendor said the increase is more than 300 percent of their original annual stall rental rates.
She said in 2005, City Hall made them to pay over P500 as their yearly stall rental fee but this was hiked to over P600 in 2006.
"This is why we are really shocked that the stall rental rates is suddenly at over P2,000," she said.
To prove her point, the ukay-ukay vendor showed copies of the official receipts issued to her.
Official Receipt No. 1457788 was dated June 11, 2005, for the amount of P565 and then another Official Receipt No. 1420558, dated July 2, 2005, for the amount of P70 supposedly for the third to fourth quarter of 2005.
When asked as to why they were collected another P70 when they have already paid the rental for the entire year at P565, the night market vendor said, "We just paid them off to avoid any conflict as they might make it hard for us to do business in the future."
Another Official Receipt with No. 8868489, dated March 11, 2006, was issued to this same ukay-ukay vendor for the amount of P690, but surprisingly it was signed "Maya E." as the collecting officer from the City Treasurer's Office.
Enteria, for her part, said she has never signed any Official Receipt as only the Office of the City Treasurer has the authority to issue the same.
"And whenever I affix my signature in an official document, I really spell out my name," said Enteria.
When asked on whether there might be another person at City Hall who might have the same initials or similar name with that of hers, the councilor said she has personally talked with Divisoria Night Market official in-charge Wilma Rugay.
Enteria said Rugay informed her that City Treasurer Lino Daral is tasked to collect stall rental fees from the vendors in the area.
"And I just talked with our City Treasurer and he told me that there is only one person assigned to do the collections and that is Pamela Arga," she said.
