THE alleged protection racket and overcharging by market marshals in Dagupan City were not only victimizing fish vendors but other vendors as well, including those that are already paying monthly rentals for their spaces.

This information was shared by Councilor Teresa Coquia, chairperson of the committee on market, at the last committee hearing.

She said she received the validated information that all bagoong (salted fish) vendors  at the Makong Market and shop owners that are paying monthly rentals to the city government are also being made to pay P100 daily in cash tickets.

Worse, Coquia said the market marshals were illegally collecting P80 more than the P20 worth of cash tickets prescribed by the city’s 2006 Revised Revenue Code.

Coquia also gathered that all shop owners at the Makong Market are being issued daily P100 cash tickets, except for two who refuse to pay by invoking their regular monthly rentals.

Meanwhile, only City Legal Officer Terence Marata, representing Acting City Administrator Michael Datario appeared at the continuation of the committee hearing on the plight of small-scale fish vendors at the Magsaysay Fish Market.

City Treasurer Romelita Alcantara who was invited to shed light on the amounts being remitted by the market marshals to the city government, did not attend. OIC Market Supervisor  Randolph Ubando and Michael Hernando, chief of the Market Marshal Task Force, did not show up again.

Marata clarified that Aguedo Sta. Maria, the city market supervisor on medical leave, told him that the P100 cash tickets daily issued to the small-scale vendors should actually be P119 because the vendors were occupying 8’x 8’ space, or P19 less than what should be collected.

This was, however, belied by Marietta Barrientos, president of the Small-scale Vendors and Fish Consignment Association, who maintained that the vendors are only occupying 1.5 meters x 1.7 meters space since the elevated gutter where they are now selling fish is only 1.5 meter wide.

Ordinance No. 1680-2006, otherwise known as the Revised Revenue Code of Dagupan decreed that P20 worth of cash ticket be issued to a small-scale vendor occupying a space of 1.7 meter by 1.7. meter.

Due to the conflicting claims of Sta. Maria and Barrientos, Coquia and Majority Leader Michael Fernandez decided to conduct an ocular inspection at the Magsaysay Fish Market and measure the area occupied by each vendor .

Meanwhile, Barrientos warned that her group will return to the streets to protest the decision of Mayor Brian Lim, as reported by Councilor Celia Lim, that the vendors can stay in their present area until December 31 only.

Lim earlier interceded for vendors’ and asked her son Mayor Brian Lim to allow Barrientos’ group to sell for 24 hours at the riverside and the latter agreed and installed tents for the their use.

Councilor Lim said it’s all that she could ask her son-mayor as a councilor. (Leonardo Micua)

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