ILOILO City – As the newly rehabilitated Iloilo Terminal Market opens today, October 30, the city government is imposing a strict enforcement campaign against sidewalk vending — banning bolanteros and bolanteras from selling within 100 meters of the market to restore order and discipline in the area.
Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) head Maricel Mabaquiao said the move is part of Iloilo City’s broader effort to ensure that the newly modernized public market, one of its flagship projects, operates efficiently and free from the clutter and congestion that had long marred its surroundings.
“No bolantero, bolantera allowed,” Mabaquiao stressed. “We are implementing what the market ordinance has long mandated. Vendors cannot sell within 100 meters from the market premises.”
She was referring to the Iloilo City Market and Slaughterhouse Code of 2009, which prohibits the sale of goods such as fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, eggs, and native delicacies outside public markets or within a 100-meter radius.
Mabaquiao clarified that the policy is not intended to displace ambulant vendors but to regulate them under proper channels.
“We are simply reminding everyone that there are rules to follow,” she said. “The bolanteros can still bring their produce and sell it to our legitimate stallholders, but they cannot set up displays along the roads or near the entrances. We need to maintain order, especially now that we have a new market structure.”
For decades, informal vending around the Iloilo Terminal Market — popularly known as “Super” — was tolerated, with vendors selling vegetables, candles, and local delicacies along sidewalks crowded with pedestrians and public transport.
Mabaquiao said the long-standing practice caused congestion and sanitation problems that the city now seeks to correct.
“This has been happening for years, and it’s time to regulate it properly,” she said. “The city invested heavily in modernizing our markets, and part of that modernization is discipline — both from stallholders and vendors.”
The LEEO chief added that enforcement of the 100-meter rule will coincide with the market’s soft opening today, with security and enforcement personnel deployed to guide vendors and ensure compliance.
Meanwhile, groups of bolanteros and progressive organizations protested earlier this week, opposing what they described as the “privatization” of public markets and restrictions on small vendors. They claimed the new policies could displace low-income earners dependent on ambulant selling for their livelihood.
Mabaquiao refuted this, clarifying that the city’s partnership with a developer aims to enhance facilities and management, not privatize the market.
“The market remains public,” she said. “We just want it to be cleaner, safer, and more organized. The rules are not new — they are simply being implemented properly this time.”
She appealed for cooperation from vendors, calling the regulation part of a shared effort to improve public spaces and ensure that modernization benefits everyone./PN
