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.

Press Release
February 3, 2014
Contact person:
Mirriam Neri, President of Maypajo Caloocan Public Market Peoples’ Vendors Association
0999-8736696

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