ILOILO CITY — A dispute among vendors at the newly opened Mandurriao Public Market has intensified, with competing claims over who should be allowed to continue selling inside the new facility.
The issue surfaced after some vendors who had temporarily transferred to the new market during periods of heavy rain and flooding reportedly remained there even after other vendors returned to their previous selling areas.
One vendors’ association official, Rolyn Gallaza, earlier described the situation as unfair, saying vendors who followed instructions to return to the old market were losing customers and income because some of their fellow vendors continued operating inside the new facility.
But another vendor, Lino Liguan, disputed the claim that the vendors remaining at the new market had been prohibited from selling there.
According to Liguan, Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) head Maricel Mabaquiao had already told the affected vendors to transfer to the new Mandurriao market because the old facility was considered unsafe and unsanitary, particularly because flooding could increase the risk of leptospirosis.
Liguan also said there was no directive preventing the vendors from selling at the new market and claimed that they had personally discussed the matter with market contractor Plaridel Nava.
Contractor rejects claims of special treatment
Nava, a former Iloilo City councilor and contractor of the Mandurriao Public Market, subsequently rejected allegations that certain vendors were receiving special treatment.
In a separate interview reported by Bombo Radyo, Nava described the accusations surrounding the vendors’ continued presence at the new market as politically motivated.
He said some vendors had been allowed to remain because their stalls at the old market were damaged during the southwest monsoon, while other vendors’ stalls remained usable.
Nava also denied that Mayor Raisa Treñas had instructed officials to favor particular vendors.
He said the mayor’s intention was to ensure vendors had a safe and suitable place where they could continue earning a living.
Nava further said the LEEO was expected to return all vendors to the new Mandurriao market on Monday, September 14, in an effort to prevent further disputes among sellers.
Why the dispute matters
The controversy is part of a much larger effort by the Iloilo City government to reorganize its public markets and regulate the operations of both regular and ambulant vendors.
The city has been working to fill stalls in its rehabilitated and newly opened public markets, with LEEO head Mabaquiao saying legitimate and original vendors were prioritized in the allocation process. The office has also been accepting applications for remaining vacant stalls.
The city has separately introduced rules governing bolanteros, or transient/ambulant vendors, as officials try to balance their livelihood needs with the interests of registered market stallholders.
Earlier this year, the city required registered bolanteros participating in designated market days to comply with registration, identification, sanitation and operating requirements.
A later arrangement moved ambulant produce sellers back to designated areas inside the Iloilo Terminal Market, where they could operate from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m., rather than competing directly with regular vendors during daytime market operations.
City trying to balance vendors’ livelihood and market order
The broader policy reflects a difficult balancing act for city officials: protecting established market vendors while also providing legitimate livelihood opportunities for transient sellers.
Iloilo Today previously reported that the city government’s designated market-day system was intended to create organized selling opportunities for ambulant vendors while protecting the welfare of legitimate vendors operating inside public markets.
The Mandurriao controversy therefore goes beyond a disagreement between individual vendors. At its core is the question of who is authorized to sell, where they can sell and how the city can ensure that vendors who comply with regulations are not placed at a disadvantage.
For now, the latest statements indicate that the LEEO is moving toward a clearer arrangement at the new Mandurriao Public Market, with vendors expected to be consolidated there as authorities work to prevent further conflict.
The competing statements from vendors and market officials, however, show that the transition to Iloilo City’s newly developed market system remains a work in progress.
The next major test comes Monday, September 14, when the city is expected to enforce the latest arrangement at the Mandurriao Public Market.
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