Thursday, February 21, 2008 Market vendors hit 'zarzuela' in Angeles council
ANGELES CITY -- Members of the San Nicolas Market Vendors Association (SNMVA) have criticized what they tagged as "zarzuela" in the City Council here.
Efren Dizon, the group's president, even gave Angeles City councilors a couple of words on professionalism and punctuality after he and his members were not able to air their concerns in the City Council session after it was adjourned last Tuesday for lack of a quorum.
Dizon's irritation was a result of what he said as the "inability of some councilors to come to the session hall early." His group and other concerned businessmen trooped to the City Council to protest the condition of former San Nicolas Public Market vendors who were displaced by the fire that gutted the market some years back.
He said when the new market building was set up, some of the former stalls were leased to "outsiders."
Dizon lamented the inability of the City Council to safeguard the rights of vendors.
"When the market was burned down, there was not even one councilor that helped us or advocated for our rights. What they have done was merely to turn a deaf ear on us," he added.
"None of these officials have taken time to help us when we lost our stalls to the fire. Then we found out that there are some councilors who were able to have their own stalls in the market," Dizon said.
When asked if he could name the councilors, Dizon said he would reveal the names "in the proper forum," adding that city councilors should first look into the condition of their constituents rather than concentrate on "petty bickering."
"They make the session a mere charade," he added. (IOF)
