Tension grips in Central Market, Masamart demolition

BACOLOD. The City Legal Office Enforcement Team demolished the illegal structures at the Central Public Market and Masamart in Bonifacio Street, Bacolod City Wednesday, September 25. (Merlinda A. Pedrosa)
BACOLOD. The City Legal Office Enforcement Team demolished the illegal structures at the Central Public Market and Masamart in Bonifacio Street, Bacolod City Wednesday, September 25. (Merlinda A. Pedrosa)

TENSION arose as one of the sidewalk vendors questioned the demolition of illegal structures at the Central Public Market and Masamart in Bonifacio Street done by the Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) Enforcement Team Wednesday morning, September 25.

Rodolfo Maligmat, spokesperson of Bacolod City Vendors and Entrepreneurs Forum, tried to get a clarification from the CLO-Enforcement Team, but he lost his temper and shouted at the CLO-Enforcement Team head lawyer Reuben Sabig and other CLO personnel.

Maligmat said they still have an appeal to the Office of the Mayor to give them enough time to transfer to Bacolod Vendors Plaza.

“We received a notice from the City Government and we were given five days to vacate our stalls, but according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) it should be a minimum of 10 days so why did they implement it now?” he said.

He added they earlier asked an opinion from the DILG, and they were saddened that the City Government already implemented the demolition of their stalls.

On September 18, the City Government served the notices to the affected vendors and they were only given five days to vacate their stalls.

The order to vacate came after City Council earlier repealed the City Ordinance (CO) 183 Series of 1980, or an ordinance providing for the disposition of kiosks and stalls constructed around the Central Public Market.

Maligmat, who was selling jewelry at the Central Public Market for almost 30 years, said they have no choice, but to follow the order of the City Government. However, he added the demolition was very harsh.

He also admitted that the five-day deadline should be 10 days according to the DILG.

The CLO-Enforcement Team head also countered that they do not have an order from the court to stop the demolition of the illegal structures in the area.

“He (Maligmat) cited the five-day deadline which is a requirement under the law that they will answer it in written within five days, but if there’s no order to hold the demolition, so why will we hold it? He didn’t know what he was talking about,” Sabig said.

He said if the group of Maligmat has an appeal to the City Government, it doesn’t mean that they will also hold the operation.

Sabig stressed that the CO 183 was already repealed so the City demolished it in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to rid public streets of obstruction to facilitate the orderly use of thoroughfares.

“We are not overacting here. It was Maligmat who was making drama scenario to get attention,” he said.

Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda, cluster head on markets, said the affected vendors already voluntarily vacated their stalls since Monday and all of them will be given space at the Vendors Plaza if they are interested to avail them.

He said the CLO-Enforcement Team demolished a total of 97 stalls at the Central Public Market and Masamart. Of 97 stalls, 11 stalls were found abandoned.

The affected vendors were also instructed to coordinate with the City Administrators Office to prove that they are interested to avail a space at the Vendors Plaza.

“We will clear and clean the area and the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO) was also tasked to study the traffic plan to ensure that the said area will not be used as parking area of the private vehicles,” Pineda said.

Moreover, Carla Delfin, 39, a fruit vendor, said that they are not against the clearing operation, but they are only asking the City Government to ready the Vendors Plaza first before they will be transferred in the area.

“We feel sad because this is an awarded stall from our grandparents, then all of a sudden they will remove us here. We are left hanging because Vendors Plaza is not yet ready to do a business in the area,” she said.

Delfin, who was very emotional, stressed that the Vendors Plaza has no stalls and they are facing difficulty to display and secure their products in the area.

“We don’t know what will happen next because for now, most of us are facing problem on how to sell our fruits. We are hoping that the City Government will expedite the construction of the Vendors Plaza,” Delfin disclosed.

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