MARKET CORRUPTION
Corruption thrives in city's seven public markets
The city government is not earning from the operations of the seven markets in the city due to massive corruption.
This, City Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo disclosed after receiving information that income coming from cash tickets being paid by market vendors do not go to city government coffers but straight to the pocket of some collectors.
Though he refused to give the names of the unscrupulous collectors, Peñaredondo said his information is very reliable and he stands by his expose.
The councilor said it now depends on the city's chief executive to investigate the anomaly and eventually put a stop to it.
Peñaredondo said, the cash tickets are usually issued to transient market vendors.
He said income from this cash tickets could not be accounted properly.
Most of the transient vendors are selling farm produce coming from the different towns of Iloilo.
Peñaredondo said the city pays for the electrical consumption and maintenance of the public markets and yet it is not gaining anything from the taxes collected in its operation.
The city government maintains Iloilo Terminal Market, Iloilo Central Market, Jaro Big Market and several other markets in the different districts of the city.
He vowed to bring the matter to the attention of the City Council.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture is now launching a nationwide search for Huwarang Palengke.
DA Undersecretary Salvador Salacup said, the Huwarang Palengke search will look for wet markets with vendors selling goods at reasonable prices and having clean surroundings.
The meat products should pass the standards set by the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC), he said.
Salacup said the prospective market should also abide by the Consumer Protection Act and the goods must have price tags for easy identification.
He also urged the local government units to provide a common weighing scale or the so called Timbangan ng Bayan in every market.
Salacup said once the market is already identified they will also select group of vendors to avail free rentals of their market space. It is the agriculture department which will pay for their rentals for six months.
Each market should conform with the standards set forth by the department. In Metro Manila alone, only 10 out of the 68 markets have qualified for the program.