‘Nuisance’ bolanteros warned: Follow rules or face ban

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Transient vendors, or bolanteros, who repeatedly violate market regulations, including designated Market Day rules, will be banned from selling in city markets or face appropriate charges, according to the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO).

The warning follows a commotion at the Iloilo Central Market after an alleged dispute over selling space during a recent Market Day.

LEEO head Maricel Mabaquiao said the incident involved a vendor who was not listed in its official database and had no assigned identification or number, which is required under the city’s scheduled Market Day system.

She stressed that bolanteros are organized per Market Day, with assigned slots, identification cards, and numbers indicating their designated selling areas to ensure order.

The system is implemented across all public markets in the city, she added.

Mabaquiao emphasized that violations of assigned spaces disrupt order in the markets.

“Yes [we will ban them]. We will check, and we will call them if they will be getting a space during our Market Day. We will ban them if they will be bringing chaos to the area,” she said on Tuesday, April 28.

If the bolantero involved chooses not to coordinate with the office, he or she will be outright banned from selling in city markets, according to Mabaquiao.

“They should go to the office. Get a number, or else we will ban them or file cases in violation of our Market Code. That is a nuisance already,” she emphasized, noting that LEEO will be responsible for filing the appropriate cases against violators.

She added that LEEO, along with other City Hall enforcement teams, conducts nightly clearing operations and has repeatedly observed the same individuals occupying spaces not officially assigned to them.

“You cannot just take over someone else’s space. What we want is peace and order in our markets — for vendors and bolanteros. They should go to the office if they want to sell, so we can avoid chaos. Orderliness is our priority,” she said.

She clarified that there is no first-come, first-served system, as vendors are assigned numbers that determine their permanent slots based on their placement on the first day of Market Day operations.

Mabaquiao said nearly 200 bolanteros have already been issued identification cards, and they will be required to sign an undertaking.

“In the undertaking, it was stated how big their area is. Once we meet them, we will enforce the policy so they fit into our Market Day system because there is a corresponding area for them,” she said.

The LEEO allows each vendor a 1-by-1-meter selling space.

Mabaquiao said that if the number of bolanteros exceeds 200, the office is identifying additional areas where others can be accommodated.

Mabaquiao also said only a minimal number of bolanteros are newcomers, stressing that most are from Iloilo City, while those from the province have already been accounted for in the database.