Change is coming. And the public market vendors are worried.
Mayor Ipe Remollo has bared plans to rent out a portion of the public market. Under the conditions of the proposal, the potential investor will pay rent in advance for 30 years and this money will be used to fund the construction of a new market in whatever area is left for the vendors.
This has to be a big building because the Mayor has assured the vendors that after the building is completed in one and a half years, all vendors will be re-accommodated in the new market. And there’s even space for new vendors.
Of course, despite the assurances, the vendors are still worried. It’s but natural. After all, they have heard of what happened in Bais, where the City leased the Mercado de Bais to Gaisano to raise revenue to pay off the loan. The deadline has elapsed for the vendors to move out but the vendors are still there, awaiting for the final judgement of the case filed in court. In between today and the time they were asked to move out, there have been a lot of tense moments between the vendors and the law enforcers.
The situation in Dumaguete will be different, the Mayor assures. The City will only lease a portion of the market. He says the public market will not become a private market.
The City has a public relations problem in its hands. The vendors, who are presumed to have voted for the Mayor’s opponent during the last elections, say they are happy with the way the market is. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?
Is Dumaguete changing too fast for comfort?
