SHORTLY after minority Councilor Redford Erfe-Mejia called out two fish vendors whom he identified only as “Mariet” and “Digna” in his privilege speech, for ‘kotong’ activities inside the Magsaysay Market, he immediately received a sharp retort from “Mariet.”

Marietta Barrientos, president of the Small-scale Fish Trading Association of Dagupan, said she is the “Mariet” that Erfe-Mejia referred to in his speech, allegedly the object of the complaint from three ambulant vendors, not seven, as claimed by the councilor.

Barrientos, went ballistic when she heard the councilor denounce her and Digna Oxino for collecting fees for the use of stalls and vehemently denied the allegation and called out Erfe-Mejia for his malicious claims.

She dared the councilor to present any evidence to prove the three accusers’ lies that she and Oxina collected fees. She said she knows the three but withheld their names.

The three, she said, are actually among the beneficiaries of 73 stalls awarded by the administration of Mayor Belen Fernandez since she returned as mayor in 2022.

“In fact, the three complaining vendors are using their stalls to sell fish at night,” she added.

Meanwhile, the seven majority councilors declared they are set to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation based on the information obtained from the complaining vendors.

Asked if she and Oxino will attend the inquiry, Barriento said: “Kung kinakailangan, bakit hindi. But for the meantime, bakit kami sisipot sa kanila?”

“How can we extort money when in fact it was us who fought back so that we will be freed from kotong finally… it was us who filed a case of robbery with extortion against an official of the past city administration,” she said.

Barrientos said the case she filed against Michael Hernando, former official of the Lim administration, is pending before Branch 42 of the Regional Trial Court in Dagupan City.

“Ako ay handang magdildil ng asin araw-araw huwag lang mang gulang sa kapwa. Malinis ang konsensiya ng isang Marietta Barrientos at Digna Oxino,” Barientos intoned.

She said all the members of the SSFTA can testify that there is no kotong as alleged by the complaining vendors as claimed by Erfe-Mejia, saying that it was clearly meant to discredit her character and to make it an issue against Mayor Fernandez.

She challenged the seven majority councilors that if they really want all vendors to have their respective stalls, they should pass Supplemental Budget No. 2-2024 so Mayor Fernandez can build more stalls for them. (Leonardo Micua)

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