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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Friday, October 6, 2017
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ILOILO City – Unscrupulous persons or groups may be taking advantage of the legitimate Senior Citizens Month celebration to make money at Jaro Plaza, according to Acting Mayor Jose Espinosa III.
He confirmed having authorized an organization of senior citizens to use the public plaza of Jaro district for the Senior Citizens Month but the authorization did not envisage the operation of ukay-ukay stalls at the plaza, he stressed.
Late afternoon yesterday, Espinosa checked Jaro Plaza. Flustered by the rows of ukay-ukay stalls, he ordered the disconnection of their electricity supply.
According to the acting mayor, he was told that among the activities of the Iloilo City Association of Community Elders, Inc. at Jaro Plaza was the selling of plants and pots “kag kon ano-ano da pero indi ukay-ukay.”
“Pero subong ang nagwa to ukay-ukay…daw indi man na ‘ya pwede,” Espinosa told Panay News.
A streamer hanging at Jaro Plaza read, “Welcome, guests and participants to the Iloilo City Association of Community Elders (ICACE), Inc. Trade Fair and Bazaar, Jaro Plaza, October 1 – 31.”
Senior citizens may not be behind the ukay-ukay operation at the plaza, said Espinosa, and that some persons or groups may be using the legitimate Senior Citizens Month celebration as cover to make money at the plaza.
The Iloilo City Association of Community Elders (ICACE), Inc. president, Dr. Ronbe Fernandez, could not be reached for comment as of this writing.
“Ang insakto, insakto lang…Gintiniran ko gid to kag ginpangita ang mga senior citizens…ti daw waay. Daw gin usar lang ang ngalan or activity sang senior citizens. Indi na ‘ya pwede,” added Espinosa.
Among others during his ocular inspection of Jaro Plaza yesterday, the acting mayor discovered that the ukay-ukay stalls were illegally tapping electricity from the city government’s power lines.
“Ginpangitaan ko permit and other pertinent documents. Wala sila may ginpakita sa akon,” Espinosa told Panay News.
He ordered Task Force Boltahe – the city government’s anti-power pilferage body – and the Jaro police to remove the illegal electricity connections.
Espinosa said he would order an investigation.
“Gintan-aw ko sa gin-aprobahan nga request kag permit, daw indi amo. Aksyunan ko ini by tomorrow,” he said.
He did not discount the possibility of ordering the closure of ukay-ukay stalls at Jaro Plaza should evidence culled from the investigation he would be ordering would warrant such action.
“Tan-awon ta, imbestigahon ta. Kon makita ta nga daw indi amo, kanselahon naton ang permit,” he said.
On Tuesday, Councilor Joshua Alim warned against the closure of Jaro and Mandurriao district plazas for income-generating activities.
This early stalls were again being constructed in these plazas, according to Alim, even if Mandurriao’s district fiesta was still a month away (November) while Jaro’s would be on February 2018 yet.
In a privilege speech at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), Alim reminded colleagues of the resolution they unanimously passed disallowing the closure of public plazas.
“Ang mga plaza himuon naman nila bulogasan. Plazas are beyond the commerce of man,” stressed Alim, citing the Local Government Code which prohibits the closure of public plazas except for some occasions but that the closure must not be more than three days./PN
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