THE DILEMMA confronting Iloilo City’s public markets goes beyond the dispute between stallholders and ambulant vendors. It is a test of governance — of whether City Hall can uphold order without sacrificing livelihoods, and protect long-time investors without closing its doors on those struggling to earn an honest living.
Mayor Raisa Treñas is right in recognizing that there is no easy answer. The competing interests of stallholders and bolanteros have simmered for years, with each side carrying legitimate grievances. Stallholders have invested heavily in their businesses, paying rentals and operating legally inside the markets for decades. They deserve protection from unfair competition that diverts customers away from the very spaces they have faithfully maintained.
On the other hand, bolanteros are not criminals. They are ordinary Filipinos trying to survive in difficult economic times. Many turned to ambulant vending because formal opportunities are scarce. Simply driving them away without offering a viable alternative merely transfers the problem elsewhere instead of solving it.
This is why the proposal to relocate ambulant vendors to the rooftops of public markets deserves careful and objective evaluation rather than immediate dismissal or blind acceptance. If properly designed, rooftop market spaces could preserve unobstructed sidewalks, protect pedestrian safety, reduce congestion around market entrances, and still allow bolanteros to earn a living.
However, the proposal should not become a cosmetic solution. A rooftop market that customers cannot conveniently access will only condemn ambulant vendors to failure. The city must ensure adequate access through stairways, elevators where feasible, proper lighting, ventilation, security, sanitation facilities, and clear directional signage. Customers must find these areas inviting rather than inconvenient.
Likewise, any relocation should be based on careful consultation rather than political expediency. Both stallholders and ambulant vendors deserve to be heard. A solution imposed without dialogue is unlikely to survive, no matter how well-intentioned.
Ultimately, public markets exist to serve the public. They should be orderly, accessible, safe, and economically vibrant. That objective cannot be achieved if one sector prospers at the expense of another.
Finding common ground may indeed be difficult, but that is precisely what leadership demands. The city’s responsibility is not to choose winners and losers, but to create conditions where honest enterprise can flourish for everyone. If Iloilo City succeeds in crafting a genuinely fair and sustainable arrangement, it could provide a model that many other local governments facing the same conflict would do well to follow.
With thoughtful planning, transparent consultation, and the political will to make difficult decisions, the city can prove that economic development and social justice are not opposing goals.
A truly progressive market is one where sidewalks are clear, businesses thrive, consumers benefit, and every hardworking vendor – whether inside the market or newly relocated – has a genuine chance to earn a decent living.
