Clean and green tilt for market stakeholders

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

THE ILOILO City government on Sunday launched the “Clean and Green Market” competition to promote awareness among market stakeholders and eventually improve the state of public markets in the metro.

According to Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) head, Jose Ariel Castañeda, the participants will be evaluated particularly on the cleanliness of their comfort rooms, drainages, and other key facilities in the market.

“Paindes-indes sang merkado sa pagpalimpyo kag sang pagwapo sang ila area so lain lain na element parehos sang katinlo sang CR, material recovery facility, kalimpyo sang drainage, presensya sang mga green plants,” he told Daily Guardian.

The competition, which will run from September 2019 to April 2020, will be a continuous process of cleaning and improving the markets, he added.

“Gin-launch na naton siya para magpreparar na markets ang ila mga associations and ang ila mga plano, ma-conceptualize nila kun paano nila ini patigayunon kag ano dapat ila asikasuhon,” Castañeda said.

The competition is open to all public market stakeholders and vendor associations. Prizes await the winners.

For the longest time, Castañeda said that the perennial problem in the public markets is irresponsible market stakeholders who cannot sustain the cleanliness in their areas.

“Very obvious man nga part sang problema nga na-encounter sang merkado amo ang indi responsible nga pagpatuman sang pagpatinlo and indi pag-ako sang responsibilidad sang stakeholders,” he lamented.

Through the competition, Castañeda hopes to change the mindset of the market stakeholders.

“We need to change that mindset kay kun pagwapuhon ni Mayor Jerry ang merkado pero ang aton nga pagbaton sang responsbilidad, wala nagadala sang pagpatuman kag pagpatawhay sang aton pag-ginawi, ihindi ni siya mangin epektibo,” he said.

He added that the competition will enjoin the public market stakeholders, vendor associations and barangay officials to unite and think of ways on how to improve their respective markets.

“Nagapati kita nga isa naton ka paagi para mamaintain kag masustain ang matinlo kag maligwa nga merkado amo ang pagbinuligay sang stakeholders,” he said.