Bautista: No plan to privatize Quezon City public markets

MANILA, Philippines - Vice Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista denied yesterday allegations that he is pushing for the privatization of Quezon City’s public markets.

Bautista, who is running for mayor under the Liberal Party, categorically declared in a statement that there is not a single plan or proposal to privatize public markets in Quezon City and any such recommendation will go directly to the garbage basket.

“This is a desperate attempt by our political opponents to curry favor from Quezon City voters by spreading misinformation. It was a badly written script because the people of Quezon City know for a fact that, from the very start, I am strongly against allowing big businessmen to take over public markets,” he said.

Such a move, Bautista said, would only result in high stall rental rates and force vendors to jack up their prices.

Bautista expressed confidence that voters have learned to be more discerning, as shown by a Social Weather Stations survey last December, wherein 90 percent of respondents rejected black propaganda.

He reiterated that he and the entire city government will protect the welfare of market vendors and their suppliers from private administrators.    – Perseus Echeminada