ILOILO City – Mayor Raisa Treñas has called for discipline and adherence to the rule of law following a commotion involving ambulant vendors, city personnel, and police officers along Fuentes Street on Friday night, April 10.
In a statement, Treñas said the incident involved bolanteros (ambulant vendors), personnel from the Local Economic and Enterprise Office (LEEO), the Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structures Unit (ASIS-U), and members of the Philippine National Police.
Treñas acknowledged the struggles faced by ambulant vendors but emphasized that these should not justify actions that may endanger others.
“We know it is difficult to earn a living, and we empathize with them,” she said. “However, this should not be a reason to violate the law or result in disorder and danger.”
The mayor urged vendors to support the city’s Market Day program, which was introduced last month to provide organized and fair selling spaces across Iloilo City’s public markets.
The program allows ambulant vendors to sell during designated schedules at various markets, including Central, Iloilo Terminal, Jaro Big Market, Mandurriao, La Paz, and Arevalo.
Treñas said the initiative was designed to ensure a structured system where vendors — both from Iloilo City and nearby areas — can sell without conflict.
“The Market Day system is meant to ensure order, fairness, and equal opportunity, and to prevent disputes over vending spaces,” she explained.
She added that vendors have already been registered by LEEO and assigned designated areas during their respective schedules.
Following the incident, Treñas said LEEO will meet again with the vendors to clarify policies and reinforce the guidelines of the Market Day program.
She noted that the system was developed in coordination with both ambulant vendors and market stallholders to balance interests and protect livelihoods on both sides.
“While we are helping ambulant vendors earn daily, we are also protecting the businesses of those who have established stalls inside our redeveloped markets,” she said.
The city government will not tolerate incidents that threaten public order and safety, she stressed.
“In Iloilo City, we will enforce the law firmly — but we will do so with fairness,” she said. “We have discipline, we have order, and we have compassion — but there are limits.”/PN
