Vendors protest market redevelopment impacts

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By Juliane Judilla

Hundreds of ambulant vendors from the Iloilo Terminal “Super” Market staged a picket protest in front of Plaza Libertad in Iloilo City on Tuesday, March 4, urging the city government to address policies they said are threatening their livelihoods.

The vendors appealed to Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu and other city officials to reconsider measures they said have led to repeated displacement since the market’s privatization.

The redevelopment of the Iloilo Terminal Market, commonly known as the Super Market, is being undertaken through a public-private partnership between the Iloilo City Government and a private firm.

City officials have said the project will modernize the facility and integrate it into a larger commercial complex to improve infrastructure, sanitation and revenue generation.

Ambulant vendors said the transition has resulted in stricter regulations, higher rental and goodwill fees, and fewer informal selling spaces traditionally used by small vendors.

The vendors said thousands of ambulant sellers could lose their primary source of income.

They said city authorities have conducted clearing operations since the market was privatized, preventing them from selling in and around the market premises.

“Ang gusto tani namon tagaan kami sang tsakto nga lugar kag oras, hindi nga daw sapat kami nga ginatabog (What we want is to be given a proper place and time to sell, not to be treated like we are being chased away),” one vendor said during the protest.

Another vendor said the uncertainty has affected daily earnings and basic needs.

“Ginabawalan nyo kami sa Super kay hindi kami pwede. Adlaw-adlaw gapalagyo kami, te diin kami makadto kag diin kami makuha sang amon kalan-on adlaw-adlaw? (You prohibit us from selling at the Super because we are not allowed there. We are driven away every day, so where will we go and where will we get food for our families daily?)” the vendor said.

Among the group’s key demands are reinstatement within the market premises, more flexible payment terms for goodwill and rental fees, and the allocation of designated spaces and specific selling hours for ambulant vendors.

The vendors said they remain open to dialogue and hope city officials will meet with them to craft a solution that balances redevelopment goals with the protection of small vendors’ livelihoods.