Pasig market vendors resist demolition

Seven people were arrested while one policeman was hurt following a clash between a demolition team and vendors of a public market in Pasig City yesterday.

Vendors started throwing rocks at a demolition team and police escorts as they arrived at the Pasig City Public Market on San Agustin street in Barangay Palatiw at 9:15 a.m.

Senior Inspector Rolito Nobleza of the Pasig City police suffered a contusion when one of the vendors hit him on the head with a wooden club.

Police officers managed to arrest seven vendors who were caught throwing rocks.

The demolition team was armed with a court order to dismantle the stalls standing on a property owned by Domingo Yap, father of former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

The vendors claimed that the demolition team started dismantling their stalls without presenting any court order.

Lawyer Mariel Cabrera, Yap’s counsel, told reporters that they earlier won a land dispute with other claimants to the property and were just implementing an order to clear the area of vendors and informal settlers.

The demolition crew was escorted by at least 40 policemen and a Special Weapons and Tactics team, led by Senior Superintendent Romeo Abaring.

As of 3:30 p.m. yesterday, the demolition team managed to dismantle 40 percent of the stalls located on the 10,000 square-meter lot.