Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has warned syndicate members who will abuse local vendors, saying he would send them to jail—even those claiming to be his relatives or close friends.
Estrada made this promise to members of the Quinta Market Stallholders Association, Inc. who thanked him for improving the Quinta Market in Quiapo.
“No friends, no relatives, for me,” Estrada said, repeating his famous line in the inaugural speech he made as President on June 30, 1998. “If there are people trying to abuse you, report it to me.”
“There will be no excuses and no exceptions. I sent friends to jail before,” the Manila mayor told the vendors.
“Erap ran for mayor to help the poor, the Filipino masses. I did not become mayor to serve my relatives, my kumpare. If you do something wrong, I will not tolerate it. You will be protected (against these syndicates),” he told the Quiapo vendors, who have been relocated to the reopened Quinta Market.
Led by their president Arnel Chico, the vendors expressed concern that some individuals claiming to be close to the mayor would still demand protection money from them even if they are now operating inside the newly renovated market.
Estrada assured it is not possible since the city government and the private developer, Marketlife Management and Leasing Corp., is under an agreement to prohibit the collection of any illegal fees from the vendors and stallholders.
Estrada stressed it his duty as the father of the city to look after the welfare of his underprivileged constituents, particularly the lowly vendors who must make ends meet to provide for their families.
The Quinta Market vendors have expressed their gratitude to Estrada for keeping his promise to allow them back to the recently renovated Quinta Market.
Chico said the city mayor has proven that he is indeed a man of his words. He admitted that he and his fellow vendors held protest rallies in 2015 when the mayor informed them they would have to be relocated temporarily to give way to the renovation of the old and dilapidated market.
They feared they would not be able to go back or be charged with exorbitant fees once the new market is reopened, he recounted. But on the contrary, Estrada made good his promises.
“All of us, all 279 members of our association, are now back in Quinta Market, just like what the mayor had promised,” Chico said. “We resumed operation without paying advance rental fees or any deposit.”
While the Quinta Market is undergoing renovation, Estrada also gave them P5,000 each as capital assistance, Chico added.
The new facilities at the market, he further said, are also a welcome development. It now has modern wet and dry sections and stalls, airconditioned restrooms, a food court, fast food restaurants, security cameras, a parking area and even free Wi-Fi connections.
Estrada led the inauguration of the renovated Quinta Market on his 80th birthday on April 19. In return, he called on Chico’s group to take care of the market.
As part of his market rehabilitation program, Estrada also reopened April last year the public markets in Sampaloc, Sta. Ana, San Andres, and Trabajo.
Estrada said the city government did not spend a single centavo in these projects because these are all under joint venture agreements with private developers; the reconstruction of Quinta Market was undertaken by Marketlife Management and Leasing Corp.
Part of the P150-million rehabilitation of Quinta Market is the construction of a nearby fish port, and later a ferry terminal, that will serve fish traders and barges from various locations, especially Navotas, who will be bringing in fresh produce.
The construction of the ferry terminal, on the other hand, is a joint effort by the city government of Manila and the Philippine Ports Authority as part of the latter’s plan to fully revive passenger ferry service along the Pasig River.
Aside from making the Quinta Market accessible via Pasig River, Estrada said the planned ferry terminal will also help decongest Quezon Boulevard, the major road leading to the traffic-prone Quiapo district, as it will serve as an alternate route for Quiapo-bound commuters and marketgoers.
