Arce, Dasmariñas clash on vendors

CEBU, Philippines  - A heated argument erupted between Pardo Barangay Captain Fermin Dasmariñas and city market administrator Raquel Arce erupted yesterday morning when the barangay official intervened when City Hall personnel started confiscating farm products displayed by vendors beside the road.

Arce said Dasmariñas should not have intervened because what her personnel did was simply to comply with the decision of the market authority to clear the road of anything that contributes to traffic congestion. Among those the market authority saw are the farm products displayed by the roadside.

Besides, Arce said, City Hall already advised the vendors to bring their products to the second floor of the market. When the vendors arrived in Pardo last Friday afternoon, they were reportedly ushered to the market’s second floor, but they still went down and displayed their goods by the road yesterday morning.

Fed up with the vendor’s insistence, Arce ordered personnel of the Market Operations Division to confiscate their products and bring them to City Hall. However, Dasmariñas arrived and stopped the MOD personnel from confiscating the products.

“Naluoy tawon kaayo ko sa mga tindera kay niadtong Biyernes sa gabii pag-abut nila duna gani’y uban kanila nga wala makapanihapon kay walay halin. Dili man g’yud kuno sila mahalinan didto sa second floor sa merkado,” Dasmariñas said.

The market’s second and third floors are vacant after the Pardo Elementary School transferred to a new building.

City Administrator Jose Poblete, for his part, said buyers would eventually learn to go to the market’s second floor if there are no longer vendors selling by the road.

“Makat-on ra man unya na ang mga pumapalit nga mosaka ra sa second floor kon wala nay maninda diha sa daplin sa karsada,” he said.

Speaking to Poblete over the phone, Arce alleged Dasmariñas even kicked the City Hall personnel.

“Gipatid-patiran pa niya ang akong mga sakop, Sir, ug dili gyud unta niya ipakarga sa sakyanan ang mga baligya nga among gi-confiscate,” Arce said.

Dasmariñas strongly denied Arce’s accusation.

Councilors Raul Alcoseba and Jose Daluz III eventually intervened and directed Arce to release the confiscated farm products.

Most of the vendors come from mountain barangays of Cebu City and nearby cities and municipalities. —   - (THE FREEMAN)