Fill me up when September ends: Iloilo City market stalls wait

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – The Local Economic Enterprise Office has set a self-imposed deadline of September to fill every vacant stall across the city’s public markets.

LEEO head Maricel Mabaquiao said the office prioritized legitimate, original vendors in assigning stalls in the rehabilitated and newly opened markets, and that the transfer of those vendors is nearly complete.

She said the office also gave priority to transient vendors, or bolanteros, who were operating in the markets before the rehabilitation projects began.

“There are still some vacant stalls, especially in some of our markets. Our target is that by this September, we can start accommodating new applicants. We have actually started accepting them, and our target is to have all the stalls occupied this September,” Mabaquiao said.

The stalls are the product of a six-market redevelopment program launched under former Mayor Jerry Treñas and carried through under Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu. The Iloilo Central and Terminal markets reopened in late 2025, followed by the Arevalo, Jaro Big, and La Paz district markets in December of that year. The Mandurriao Public Market is the sixth.

Mabaquiao said the transfer of some vendors has been delayed because contractors have yet to fully turn over the rehabilitated markets to the city government, with repairs and civil works still outstanding.

“There are still areas that have not yet been turned over to us, so we cannot yet touch or assign those stalls, although we already have applications,” she said.

She said the LEEO must still deliberate on new applications, verify applicants’ documents, and hold meetings with prospective vendors.

Applicants for a market stall must submit a letter of application or intent indicating the type of business they plan to operate and the public market where they want to establish the stall, Mabaquiao said.

The office also requires a business plan as part of the evaluation.

Mabaquiao said the LEEO has completed the business plan process for the first batch of applicants.

The five reopened markets hold more than 3,900 stalls in total.

The Iloilo Terminal Market, known locally as the “Super,” has the largest number at 1,250, up from 885 in the old market.

The Iloilo Central Market follows with 850 stalls, up from 603.

The La Paz Public Market has 782 stalls, of which 359 are intended for existing vendors and 423 for new ones.

The Jaro Big Market has 740 stalls, comprising 193 spaces for original vendors and 547 added through the redevelopment.

The Arevalo Public Market has 296 stalls, with 117 allocated to original vendors and 179 available to newcomers.

At the Terminal Market, the LEEO has assigned original bolanteros to the third floor, where they may sell from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily.

Mabaquiao said the Jaro redevelopment sharply expanded the market’s capacity, which she cited as the reason it now carries the most vacancies among the city’s markets.

“Once the remaining areas are complete, we can accommodate all the vendors. You will see that there are many available stalls (Jaro Big Market) because our buffer is more than half. For example, if we have 300 vendors, the buffer is 200. That is why we are already processing applicants,” she said.