Unscrupulous drivers could drive vendors to bankruptcy

CEBU, Philippines - In Talisay City, tricycle drivers who overcharge passengers may innocently be keeping market goers at bay.

Sales at the new Lagtang Public Market are reportedly low, two weeks after vendors from the Tabunok public market were transferred there.

Marivic Lasquite, vice president of the fish section, claimed that in the Tabunok Public Market, she could easily dispose of 300 kilos a day, but at the new market, she can only sell 20 kilos.

Lasquite said she and the rest of the vendors at the fish section are in the same boat, and about 1/3 of them have shutdown due to irrecoverable losses.

When the new market opened in August 30, 100 vendors occupied the fish section.

Those who remain still manage to survive by turning the unsold fresh fish into dried fish, Lasquite alleged.

"Ibuwad na lang na namo among di mahalin nga isda sa kilid, init bitaw na kaayo," she said.

One of the reasons for the low sales, is the "double-fare" tricycle drivers collect from passengers who go to the Lagtang Public Market.

The Talisay City council earlier set the minimum fare of tricycle to P8 and an additional P1 for every succeeding kilometer.

In the latest tariff matrix, a person traveling from barangay Poblacion to Lagtang, for example, will only have to pay P9.

But drivers insist on a double-ride fare reportedly because Lagtang is quite far.

For his part, being chairman of the City of Talisay-Traffic Operations and Deveoplment Office, Vice Mayor Alan Bucao said the practice is illegal.

He advised city residents to tell CT-TODA who these unscrupulous drivers are for proper action.