Meat traders sue Mayor Vi

LIPA CITY — A group of meat traders here has filed a damage suit against Mayor Vilma Santos-Recto and other city officials for what they claimed was the illegal closure of their meat shops.

Besides Santos-Recto, the petitioners, led by Limcoma Marketing Inc., also named Vice Mayor Lydio Lopez, former city planning and development coordinator Sonia Marasigan and members of the city council as respondents.

The case stemmed from Marasigan’s order closing down 13 meat shops for alleged violation of a city ordinance prohibiting the sale of fish and meat products outside the city public market.

In her order, Marasigan cancelled the locational clearances of the meat shops, directing them to cease operations effective Jan. 12.

For unknown reasons, Marasigan quit her post on Jan. 13. Three days later, her successor, engineer Nerio Ronquillo Jr., temporarily lifted the closure order pending the meat dealers’ compliance with legal conditions.

Despite this, the meat dealers proceeded in filing the civil case, even asking the court to declare the city ordinance unconstitutional.