Iloilo vendors struggle to survive as crackdown tightens in markets

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Night after night, bolanteros (transient vendors) are taking daily risks to earn a living, navigating a strict citywide crackdown and the constant threat of confiscation as they sell goods near public markets.

Since last year, the Iloilo City Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) has intensified its implementation of the Iloilo City Market and Slaughterhouse Code of 2009, which bans the sale of fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat, and native delicacies outside the public markets or within a distance of 100 meters from the market premises.

Bolanteros, the LEEO explained, are supposed to function mainly as wholesalers, delivering their produce to the market’s drop-off area, rather than selling along nearby streets.

Although the ordinance had not been strictly enforced in the past, the LEEO has stepped up operations following the reopening of the redeveloped Terminal (Super) Public Market and the Iloilo City Central (Tienda Mayor) Public Market in November 2025.

In a nighttime crackdown on April 10 along Fuentes Street in the city proper, tensions flared as a scuffle broke out between vendors and personnel of the LEEO, the Anti-Squatting and Illegal Structure Unit, and the Iloilo City Police Office.

Among those affected was a 21-year-old vendor, Christian Cajandab from Cabatuan, whose goods – including a plastic bag of radish and a sack of bottle gourd – were confiscated.

He argued that he was already outside the restricted zone, but officials cited street obstruction as the reason for the confiscation.

“When they arrived, they didn’t say anything or even warn us to pack up. They immediately took our goods,” he said in Hiligaynon.

“They claimed it was an obstruction. But when we checked, our goods were on the far sidewalk where people no longer pass, and it could not have caused any obstruction,” he added.

Cajandab said the confiscated produce he was selling at the Terminal Market was purchased on credit, meaning he would only be able to pay suppliers after it is sold.

He acknowledged stricter enforcement but stressed that daily selling is crucial, especially for perishable goods.

“We go here every night. This is our only means of livelihood,” Cajanjab said.

Another vendor, Cyril Labos, 26, from the town of San Rafael in northern Iloilo, said he was able to keep his goods during the April 10 operation but decried the difficulty of evading authorities during enforcement operations.

“In our reality, this is our only livelihood, but if there is no choice, there could be other jobs. But we are only making a living while also serving the needs of the city,” he said.

In a separate operation on April 11, a vendor identified as Inday from Lanit, Jaro, lost a sack of pumpkin and bottle gourd after authorities confiscated the items on Jalandoni Street.

She said the goods were not being sold at the time but were only set aside while waiting for transportation.

“We were not displaying anything. We were just waiting for the right time to place our goods. We only set them down while waiting for a tricycle to take us wherever we could sell,” she said.

“They forcibly took it from me, saying it was their evidence. How can it be evidence when we were not even displaying anything?” she added.

A mother of 10, Inday said she has been a bolantero since childhood, having started by helping her parents sell goods at the age of 12.

The Terminal and Central Market were redeveloped through a public-private partnership with SM Prime Holdings.

Former Iloilo mayor Jerry Treñas, under whose administration the modernization began, had assured vendors that no one would be displaced, citing expanded capacity to accommodate more sellers.

Vendor spaces increased from 529 to 859 at Central Market and from 911 to 1,160 at Terminal Market. The market’s modernization also includes mall-like components of SM integrated with the traditional market spaces.

Market day is in place

Earlier this April, the LEEO rolled out scheduled market days across six public markets: Central, Terminal, Jaro, Mandurriao, La Paz, and Arevalo markets, assigning bolanteros rotating schedules throughout the week. Bolanteros are given identification cards to identify whether they are registered by the LEEO.

LEEO head Maricel Mabaquiao said the market day is a “win-win” arrangement to support bolanteros while maintaining order and fair competition, particularly with those already operating inside the markets.

The LEEO said there are more than 300 bolanteros from the city and province of Iloilo who are currently registered.

According to Mabaquiao, around 200 stalls have been set aside for bolanteros inside the Terminal Market, with the list of beneficiaries still being finalized. Priority for these stalls will be given to residents and registered voters of Iloilo City, hence the provision for a market day.

However, bolanteros said the market day system falls short, citing overcrowding and stiff competition that make it difficult to secure selling space and earn enough income.

Mabaquiao admitted that only a limited number of bolanteros can be accommodated in the other markets.

Cajandab appealed to the city government to allow them to sell along the Terminal Market every day during nighttime hours, particularly when the establishment is already closed.

“They said we are also allowed to sell in areas such as La Paz and Jaro during Market Day, but these locations are already congested. We tried selling there, but it was too crowded. We were not accommodated because there were already too many vendors,” he added.

Cajandab noted that his produce is harvested several times a week, making it prone to spoilage if not sold quickly.

“The market day in the Terminal Market is every Tuesday. Are we going to eat only on Tuesdays?”

For Labos, a designated evening vending area would also help avoid direct competition with vendors in other markets.

“I hope the city mayor helps us so we can be given a space to sell in the Terminal Market in the evening so that we will not be competing with vendors inside Super because we know that this is the common problem,” he said.

“There is a market day but that is only one day for the Terminal Market. How can we sustain our family in that? What are we going to do with our products if that one day ends? Where are we going by then?”

While vendors are assigned days to sell in other markets, Labos said limited space often leads to overcrowding and tension among vendors.

Inday, for her part, said the rotational market day system is not enough to meet her family’s daily needs.

“This is our only livelihood. If we move from one market to another, we may have found enemies there,” she said.

“We just want a decent place in the Terminal Market where we are not constantly displaced. We are not thieves. This is how we earn a living and send our children to school,” she continued.

The Terminal Market functions as the primary “bagsakan” or wholesale hub for fresh produce in Panay Island, serving as a consolidation point for fruits, vegetables, and other goods before retail distribution.

Follow the law

Iloilo Mayor Raisa Treñas-Chu said the city government recognizes the struggles of vendors but stressed that rules must be upheld to maintain order and public safety.

“We will enforce the law firmly, but we will do so with fairness. We have discipline, order, and understanding, but we have limitations,” she said in a statement on April 10.

She urged vendors to support the market day system, which was implemented to provide organized and equitable selling opportunities across public markets.

She added that the city government will continue dialogues to clarify policies while balancing the interests of all vendors.

“We are helping bolanteros earn daily, but we must also protect those already operating inside markets so that their business will not also be affected,” she said.

The mayor also appealed to vendors to remain calm and not be influenced by provocations that could escalate tensions.

“We will not allow this kind of incident to undermine public order and safety in Iloilo City,” she said. – Rappler.com