Police ready for market vendors' transfer

CEBU, Philippines - The police in Talisay City are ready for next week's transfer of market vendors from the Tabunok public market to a new one in barangay Lagtang.

Chief Inspector Eddie Recamara, officer-in-charge of the Talisay City Police Station, said they will be there to ensure that the transfer is orderly, and that they will exercise maximum tolerance in conformity with Mayor Socrates Fernandez's order.

By next week as planned, the Talisay City government will start the transfer of all vendors to the new public market in barangay Lagtang.

But some vendors will remain at the Tabunok Public Market claiming that the transfer is illegal, and that they were not informed about it.

Helen Ocampo, one of the vendors at the market's meat section,

said they have not been given a final notice of transfer and that they only heard about it from media reports.

The city has already set the transfer on Aug. 23 and the closure of the old market on Aug. 28.

"Wala gyud mi hatagi nila og final notice. Nakabasa ra mi's newspaper nga balhinon na diay mi," Ocampo said.

Meanwhile, the vendors are still hoping for favorable results of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' ocular inspection of the new market today.

These vendors still insist that the new market is less than 2.7 hectares as claimed by the city hall.

According to them, the city should not transfer them to an area which they believe is smaller than the Tabunok Public Market.

There are reportedly 900 stallholders at the old public market, and some of these vendors said the stalls in the Lagtang market cannot accommodate all of them.

But city administrator Richel Bacaltos said everyone will have stalls, including new applicants.

Even ambulant vendors will also have their own space in the new market, he said. — THE FREEMAN