TARLAC CITY — City government of Tarlac has vowed to pursue the welfare and rights of market vendors group.
“We want to recover our public market and operate this for the better welfare and protection of rights of our market vendors,” Mayor Cristy Angeles said.
In October 2014, the improvement, development, maintenance and management of the public market were transferred to Paliparan Central Market Corporation by virtue of a Lease Agreement.
Angeles told vendors the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 63 have issued a Temporary Restraining Order against the company for committing further acts in violation of the Lease Agreement and other relevant laws and regulations in the provision of the Tarlac City Omnibus Market Code of 2008 pertaining to rental rates, procedure in awarding stallholders, prohibition on subleasing and prohibition against obstructions on passageways and sidewalk vendors.
“In an order issued by the RTC, the court finds that there is a need to issue a temporary restraining order to discontinue the Corporation’s non-compliance with all local and national laws pertaining to market and sanitation,” Angeles said.
“They also refused to implement the Market Code of Tarlac City, and the establishment of structures without prior approval considering that the public market is a public utility imbued with public interest,” she furthered.
“We have reached 50 percent in this battle and we will continue to fight so that our public market will be given back to our market vendors,” she added.
The city government will monitor the status of the issue and shall take the necessary actions.
Preliminary Injunction for the case will be on January 17, 2019.