APALIT -- The proposed relocation of the decades-old public market was slammed by the 200-strong vendors and stall owners during Monday’s public hearing held at the municipal covered court.
The group of vendors and stall owners led by their President Elvie Balboa expressed their strong opposition on the planned transfer of the public market some 500 meters away from its current location in the town’s intersection along MacArthur Highway.
The 200 vendor-participants, who wore red during the public hearing as a sign of opposition, are part of the 451 total stall owners in the current public market.
According to Balboa, the impending relocation of the public market threatens the livelihood of thousands of families whose income are solely dependent on their stores.
She criticized the preference of the local officials to move the public market from MacArthur Highway, which is considered the center of commerce of the 12 barangays here and nearby towns.
Contrary to the claims of the local officials, Balboa said that the movement of the public market to the identified area inside a subdivision she described as “not only 500 meters away from the current location, but also far away from the business and trade,” will not lead the town to the promised development but will only strip off jobs from individuals working earnestly.
“Nangyari na ito noon, may ni-relocate sila na vendors malapit din doon sa sinasabi nilang lugar ngayon. ‘Yung mga nailipat doon, 90 percent of them na-bankrupt. Ganon ba ang gusto nilang mangyari sa amin na nagtitinda?” Balboa asserted.
She also belied the reports that the market is the reason of massive traffic jams around the area and pointed at the barricades and the ‘no left turn’ traffic scheme implemented by the current administration as the reason behind the traffic behind the traffic dilemma of motorists.
The local government here has been implementing the “no left turn policy” along MacArthur Highway, including on two major intersections, requiring all vehicles to go around the designated U-turn slots first to make a left turn.
“Imbes makabawas, ‘iyan pa ang naging rason ng traffic dahil umiikot pa lahat. Imbes makaliko na, iikot pa ngayon ang sasakyan tapos mag-iipon doon sa U-turn slot. Dati noong walang ganyan, wala naman traffic. Kaya huwag isisi sa palengke dapat iyan,” she said.
Balboa also asserted that waste management and sanitation must be implemented by the authorities as they are paying for the proper disposal of their store’s wastes and trash to the local government.
Instead of relocation, the vendors urged the local government to just renovate the current public market and implement the programs they are eyeing for the new infrastructure.
The vendors and stall owners vowed to cooperate and coordinate with authorities regarding all the rules as long as they will be fair and reasonable to them.
But if the local government will push through with the project despite opposition, the vendors and stall owners threaten to stage a rally to voice out their resistance.
“Ito ang hinaing namin, ito ang nasa loob namin. Sana pakinggan nila para hindi masayang itong public hearing na sila mismo ang nag-organisa,” Balboa said.
