Thirty-two vendors, who claim to be actual occupants of the Vendors Plaza at the Reclamation Area in Bacolod City, yesterday asked the city government to hold in abeyance the implementation of the notice issued by the City Administrator.

City Administrator Lorendo Dilag yesterday issued a notice declaring all stalls, blocks or tables at the Vendors' Plaza abandoned and that lease to such are automatically revoked effective immediately, pursuant to Sections 25 and 32 of C.O. 160, or the Market Code of Bacolod.

The vendors claimed that they have never abandoned their stalls or blocks and have continued to pay "arkabalas" or rentals for four years now. Eduardo Cordova, spokesperson of the group, yesterday said only 32 out of about 300 vendors, continued to occupy their stalls despite losses they had incurred because business was not good.

In their letter addressed to Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Dilag and the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the vendors said former Mayor Luzviminda Valdez gathered them and raffled to them the stalls, blocks and tables at the Vendors' Plaza.

The vendors said they were only informed yesterday that the market will be closed and padlocked and that they believe they should be given due process as required by Sections 32 and 46 of C.O. 160. They are questioning how can they be charged of not paying their lease rental when they were not given contracts of lease by the city under the previous administration.

The vendors came to Councilor Lyndon Caña yesterday to seek legal advice, being a member of the Market Committee chaired by Dilag. They also met with Councilor Napoleon Cordova, who chairs the committee on markets.

Another group of vendors, headed by Ricardo Aristosa, also appeared at the SP session Thursday, claiming they are occupants of the Vendors' Plaza. However, they were told by the officer-in-charge of the market to wait for the order of the city to occupy the stalls, they said.

Aristosa said it is not because of SM City that they want to return to the Vendors' Plaza since they already knew about it a few years earlier.

Meanwhile, Caña said the 32 vendors are part of the 300 vendors from the People's Market and the sidewalk vendors gathered during the previous administration to occupy the Vendors' Plaza. He said that the vendors are asking that a public hearing be held so that they could present their side.*CGS

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