Market thieves who?

“In societies that profess some respect for law, suspects are apprehended and brought to fair trial. I stress 'suspects.’” Noam Chomsky

By Alex P. Vidal

SINCE the news broke out early this year that several characters with "strong" connections in the city hall were behind the thievery or unauthorized collections of fees, among other anomalies in the Iloilo Central Market, no names of suspects have surfaced yet.

Officially no one has been identified or charged in any formal report.

Media also failed to zero in on the real identities of the culprits as they were waiting for Councilor Rodel Agado to spill the beans.

Although some names have surfaced in the gossip mill, nobody has owned up to the anomalies and bitterly deny any wrongdoing or culpability.

It boggles the mind why Agado was hard-pressed to mention their names since they were already allegedly identified by witnesses.

In fact, it appears that Agado, a public market habitue even before he became a public official, knows some of them. 

Agado, chair of the market committee, who blew the whistle on these unscrupulous city hall employees, have failed to name them in his recent privileged speech in the regular session of the city council.

DEFEND

Agado only exhorted the “suspects” to defend themselves from accusations hurled against them when his committee conducts a formal investigation starting November 13.

In other words, the people will only speculate about the identities of these suspects who will be known only once they are invited in the hearing.

What if none of those to be invited will show up during the committee investigation?

The law cannot compel them to appear and incriminate themselves.

How can they honor any invitation to appear in the committee hearing when there is no formal complaint lodged against them yet?

How can one defend himself if there are no formal charges filed against him?

“Except for one who has already been dismissed for tapping on city power lines to run his dormitory and water business, at least eight of these suspects will be invited to come to that hearing to defend themselves,” said Agado as quoted in a report by city hall beat reporter and columnist Wenceslao Mateo in the October 30 issue of The Daily Guardian.

Mateo’s report said one suspect “is a market official charged for allegedly usurping the power of the mayor to appropriate and approve stall occupancies.”

DUMMIES

The guy, Mateo’s report added, “is also suspected of employing dummies at the market after witnesses claimed that he allegedly paid for the rentals of several delinquent stall occupants.”

“Another suspect is a regular employee who allegedly divested some P200,000 in market collections,” added the report.

According to the report, the Commission on Audit has already recommended to the City Legal Office the filing of a graft case against the regular employee.

“The rest of the suspects are job hires who either collected market fees without issuing tickets, failed to remit their collections, or tampered receipt entries to chip off some amount from their collections. Some of the suspects purportedly admitted their guilt to both the executive market committee and Agado,” concluded the report.

HOLD

We were surprised why Agado had to hold his punches during the privileged speech when it was supposed to be the perfect opportunity for him to skin those rapscallions alive.

For his failure to name names after unloading the “tuklo” (colloquial word for thief) accusation, public criticism has boomeranged on Agado, a former crusading radioman.

No guilty party is stupid to honor any committee investigation if he knows that he will only be lynched and humiliated.

We hope Agado can have a little success in his efforts to lower the boom on these dishonest city hall employees.

The only consolation for him is that he is being reportedly backed up by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who is also hell-bent to eradicate his office with undesirable employees.

Don’t limit wet market probe

“There is always room at the top-after the investigation.” Oliver Herford

By Alex P. Vidal

If the proposed redevelopment of the Iloilo central market was not tackled early this year, the alleged anomalies in the management of the city’s premier wet market would not be uncovered.

It was during the tension-filled opposition of some stall owners led by the Association of Stall Owners and Transient Vendors of Iloilo City Public Markets (Astraven Icpmi) that the issue about thieves and racketeers siphoning funds intended for the city government was unraveled.

It was during the ruckus about the proposed privatization of the public market where Councilor Rodel Agado and other officials in the mayor’s office discovered that the market income generated from rentals and other services declined rapidly.

CORRUPT

Agado blamed corrupt market collectors who allegedly connived with their bosses and pocketed some collections to the prejudice of the city government. Although he refused to name names allegedly for fear of reprisal, the grapevine points to several high-ranking officials in the executive branch which Agado promised to name “in the proper forum.”

It turned out the problem was not happening only in one public market.

This month, the City Council’s committee on markets and slaughterhouse will convene to tackle the proposed public inquiry on the Iloilo Terminal Market (ITM), which will be conducted by the local legislative branch as a committee of the whole.

Agado is expected to name the hooligans that include four market fee collectors, 14 stall awardees and three regular market employees allegedly involved in anomalous transactions. The councilor’s revelation came in the heels of reports that a market collector was caught selling application forms for the award of stalls at P100 each.

STIR

Now that city officials have started to stir the hornet’s nest, they might as well cover other public markets in their on-going investigations. After the central market and ITM, they should swoop down on La Paz public market, Jaro public market, Mandurriao public market, and other wet markets in the different districts.

If there appears to be signs of mismanagement in the major public markets, it’s not far-fetched for other smaller public markets in other districts to also experience a sloppy management.

Anomalous awarding of stalls to unqualified owners, alleged tong collections, and power pilferage are three of the most common problems identified by authorities in the metropolis’ premier public markets most recently.

If public markets are poorly managed, profits will decline and the income of city hall will suffer a major dent.

Slaughterhouses, public markets and other income-generating facilities in the barangay level owned by the local government are major sources of funds for the city government. If officials assigned in these establishments are corrupt and inefficient, the money intended for public coffer will go to the pockets of a few privileged characters.

EXECUTIVES

There were market executives who considered certain public markets as their fiefdoms. They ruled like chieftains. They used their power to assign and award stalls to favored friends if not relatives. A female “friend” of a former city mayor, for instance, reportedly owned five stalls (four of them awarded through dummies) in Mandurriao.

Not only that. She also owned additional stalls in other markets outside that district. Her “friendship” with the former city mayor became the object of whispers because of the special favors she got from the man every ordinary voter called as “pare.”

In fairness to the woman, she never bragged about her “friendship” with the man everyone loved to call “pare.”

“It’s not her fault if she is so dear to pare (first name deleted),” city hall employee and radio blocktimer Nards Grande said.

How 'Barangay Monay' gave central market a bad name

How 'Barangay Monay' gave 
central market a bad name

"Farewell Woman, I intend, Henceforth, every night to sit, With my lewd well nature friend, Drinking, to engender wit."  
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester 'Love a Woman!'

By Alex P. Vidal

Can stall owners maintaining the so-called "Brgy. Monay" inside the Iloilo central market still regain their spaces if the Central Business District revitalization project pushes through?
The answer is yes, if we follow the logic put forward by city hall officials led by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who assured vendors no one would be displaced "as long as they are legitimate."
Brgy. Monay is not one of the city's 180 villages. It's not an official name of any section inside the metropolis' widest and busiest public market. "Monay" is a colloquial word for vagina. The word "Brgy. Monay" or "Vagina Village" was coined by beer drinkers who frequent a seemingly rambunctious portion inside the Aldeguer Street entrance of the Iloilo central market. 
The other gates are on Guanco Street, corner Guanco-Rizal Streets, corner Iznart-Rizal Streets (Maria Clara), corner Aldeguer-Iznart Streets, and a small entrance from Hoskyn's Compound on J.M. Basa Street. In these gates are easily found the fish, meat, rice, vegetables, fruits, dried fish, kitchen wares, native products, and batchoy sections. 

JOKE

Brgy. Monay started as a cuss remark, a masa joke. And the joke became a by-word -- until some parents forbid minors from straying in that area mainly because of its purported pruprient notoriety. The place's "bad image" did not develop overnight.
Brgy. Monay actually is a veritable open "beer house" hub maintained by different owners in separate stalls catering to off-duty habitues and the hoi polloi. The come-ons include unlimited and cheap pulutan or sumsuman such as bar-b-q pork and chicken, squid, sinugba fish, talaba, and pig intestines. Friendly ladies join the table at the customers' behest.
There was no evidence though that stall owners tolerated prostitution and the like in Brgy. Monay. However, two former Iloilo City councilors and several city hall officials and employees have confirmed the presence of suspected sex workers who mix in cognito with beer servers and entertain willing customers. 
"Pag pungko mo pa lang wala ka pa ka order beer may naga pangilay na nga chicks. May naga pa cute na. Dugay dugay ara na sa lamisa mo (Upon your arrival and before ordering a beer, a lady is already giving you a wink and trying to get your attention. Then she will approach and join your table)," disclosed former city councilor and now lotto results reporter Restituto "Agent Kurantay" Jotes, Jr. 

TOILET

The late former city councilor German Gonzalez observed that when a customer went to the toilet, a "smiling" lady would follow him "and God knows what happened next because they returned to the table after 20 to 30 minutes."
"Ano may kuwarto dira sa tupad kasilyas? Naga ano sila didto naga rosaryo? (Is there a separate room adjacent the toilet? What were they doing there? Praying the rosary?)," the late alderman once asked Francisco "Ompoy" Pastrana, his former protege in the broadcast media.
Pastrana, who used to frequent the place together with former Bombo Radyo colleague Tony Masculino in early 90's to relax and discuss events of the day, just smiled and answered "ambot ay" (I don't know).
Jotes' plan to pass a council resolution requiring all "pink ladies" loitering in the area to get a health card from the city health office, was nixed when no one was willing to testify in a public hearing that prostitution existed in Brgy. Monay. Stall owners swore they only served beer and pulutan or sumsuman, nothing more.

VIDEOKE

Adjoining stalls operate a small karaoke or videoke area while serving beer. "They probably called the place Brgy. Monay in reference to the presence of some scantily-clad ladies spotted serving beer to customers," commented the late city councilor Eduardo Laczi. "So far, we haven't received reports that minors worked in that place or served beer to customers."
Former city hall task for on prostitution, lewd shows and anti-drug abuse chairs Toto Espinosa and Dr. Erwin Plagata laughed off rumors that Brgy. Monay is a "temple of small-time prostitution. No evidence of indecency and illegal activities in that place whatsoever, they argued. "Puro kotso-kotso (everything is just a gossip)," Espinosa said.
Former city councilor Rolando Dabao had suspected that Brgy. Monay gained its bad reputation because some rowdy and drunken customers talked about their conquest with hookers. 

MYTH

"Brgy. Monay is a myth," stressed a retired city prosecutor, who used to go there with lawyer friends. "We have been in that place for several times in the past, and no pink lady or whatever has distracted our happy hour."
"Kon tuod gid man nga madamu alpot diri, tani nagreklamo na si meyor eh kay permi man siya da (If it is true that the place is a prostitution den the first person to complain should be the mayor because he also frequented this place)," said storekeeper Doming "Boy Bangrus" Agado.
He was referring to former Mayor Mansueto Malabor, who called as "inagi na ya (gayish outburst)" suggestions to clamp down on night clubs and other night spots in the city, including the notorious Brgy. Monay.
"How can we attract tourists to come to our city if there is no night life in Iloilo City?" Malabor sighed. "I don't think Brgy. Monay is a serious matter. It does not even exist. It's only an imagination. Hinubog nga istorya ina (It's a drunken men's tale)."
"It's a common knowledge that pick up girls visit the area from time to time hoping to be spotted by drunken customers," admitted former city hall sergeant-at-arms Tony Frias. "May ara gid ya eh. Ang iban galing naga pa hipokrito pa (Others are just hypocrites)," hissed Leonardo Grande, who calls Malabor "pare Mansing."
Will the proposed Central Business District revitalization project, which will be handled by private sector, finally erase Brgy. Monay from the map?

Fear of change in central market

Fear of change in central market

"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude."
Maya Angelou

By Alex P. Vidal

It is but normal for some stall owners at Iloilo central market to panic and fear possible displacement once city hall pushes through with its Central Business District revitalization project.
Any change is always opposed and viewed with pessimism even before its good results are felt. Knee-jerk reactions from stakeholders are commonly heard especially during introduction stage of any proposed development project.
Revamps and reorganization are always viewed as threats by Doubting Thomases accustomed to resist fresh ideas.  
News of proposed improvement in central market certainly has sent jitters most particularly to illegal vendors, who will be the direct casualties of this project. 
They fear and suspect the move is a shake-up meant to eliminate them and distract their normal life. 

REASONS

There are several reasons why stall owners or vendors fear changes. Either they don't know what city hall officials are talking about; they are worried that something bad will happen to their businesses; they don't trust people who will implement or those who propose to implement the project; they get out ahead of other stakeholders; they don't give the vendors a say on their own future; they treat vendors with disrespect; or they ignore the history of change in the public market.
It is imperative that more public hearings and dialogues are held in order to iron out some kinks. No stone should be left unturned to ensure that both parties are able to eke out a win-win solution. 
City hall wants to tap private sector to help develop the market, which is located right in the heart of Downtown, City Proper. 
So far, only SM Prime Ventures has expressed interest to participate in the bidding. If the contract is awarded to SM Prime Ventures, management of the metropolis' premier public market will be turned over to the company over a certain period to enable it to recover its investment.

STALL OWNERS

More than 1,000 stall owners will be affected by the proposed development even as Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog has assured the vendors that the redevelopment of the central market will not result to their displacement as long as they are legitimate.
Vendors should trust city hall. No local government unit can afford to betray and ruin the livelihood of its own constituents. City hall officials, on the other hand, should ensure that the stakeholders fully understand the pros and cons of the proposed Central Business District revitalization project.
We hope the words of assurance from Mayor Mabilog will somehow help mollify their fears and confusions.