Press
Release
03 February 2014
Contact person:
Mirriam
Neri, President
of Maypajo Caloocan Public Market Peoples’ Vendors Association
0999-8736696
Coop members seek TRO against Malapitan;
Decry harassment, holds “silent protest”
HARASSED market stall
owners held a “silent protest” at the grounds of the Caloocan City Hall of
Justice as the Regional Trial Court Branch 121 hears their prayer for a
temporary restraining order (TRO). If granted by the court, the TRO shall allow
the cooperative of the stall owners to continue managing the public market
despite Mayor Oscar Malapitan’s opposition.
The market coop and
the city government have been at odds on the question of the management of the
public market of Maypajo. Controversy stemmed when Mayor Malapitan informed the
officials of the Maypajo Market Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MMMPC) that the city
government shall no longer renew the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) last
December 2. Local government’s excuse
was that, they plan to renovate the public market. The MOA expired last January 29 and lasted for
twenty years.
The pact between the
market coop and the Caloocan City government was signed in 1994 under the then
mayor, Macario Assistio. Key provision stipulated in the agreement was: The
coop shall have full responsibility for the maintenance of the public market
and will compensate the LGU for the rent of the public facility. At the
expiration of the agreement, the City Hall collects about 265 thousand pesos
from the Maypajo market cooperative monthly.
Market stall owners
report that they are being harassed on a daily basis by City Hall officials led
by a certain Larry Castro of the Department of Public Safety and Traffic
Monitoring (DPSTM). Castro has been forcing stall owners to pay their daily rental
obligations.
On the 31st
of January in front of regular market-goers and coop officials, Castro
destroyed the coop’s public address system to stop coop officials from
addressing its members. The tension only defused when police and several SWAT
men arrived in the scene, Castro suddenly turned soft-spoken, witnesses said.
“Despite the
expiration of the MOA, it remains an obligation of Malapitan to recognize our protected
rights as legitimate cooperative and decent-living taxpayers. Section 62,
Article 7 of the Philippine Cooperative Code says that we have preferential
rights. We vow to exercise those rights than return to a disorderly, city
hall-managed public market,” said Miriam Neri, coop member and vendors
association president.
“Mayor Malapitan seems
to be suffering from amnesia. This only after he courted our votes on promises
that he will support the MMMPC,” she added.
The coop members
allege that the decision for the city government to discontinue the MOA with
the MMMPC was absent of any public consultation, public document and not even
part of the Medium-Term Development Plan of the City.
City Hall claims that
they have a city council resolution signed and support of the city councilors.
The resolution authorizes Malapitan to act in behalf on the interests of the
city government. MMMPC charged that the resolution was only issued on December
6th but Malapitan has been notifying stall owners as early as the 2nd
of December.###
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