100 percent of displaced market merchants back in business

All of the 1,572 businessmen displaced by the city market fire last March 11, 2023 had immediately gone back in business after being provided with spaces and stalls through the city-government led rapid market clean-up and rebuilding campaign that accomplished the three-month task in just seven days.

Mayor Benjamin Magalong turned over the stalls to the market entrepreneurs on March 20, 2023, a day after the completion of the seven-day post-fire rehabilitation program that aimed to swiftly restore the livelihood of the merchants and bring back normalcy at the city’s trading center. 

All of the affected businessmen had been assigned spaces with stalls at the restored areas at Block 3 and the temporary relocation sites at the Rillera Building, Kayang-Hilltop, Zandueta and 2nd Kayang, Malcolm Square, Igorot Garden and Perfecto St.

The restored upper level of Block 3 now houses more than 250 vendors who transferred from their relocation sites on March 19.

Rillera Building presently accommodates 124 dry goods, 50 refreshments and 10 eateries, which are equivalent to 10 percent of the displaced population while Malcolm Square has 84 spaces, Igorot Garden, 32 slots and Perfecto St., 30 spaces.

Market Superintendent Ceasar Emilio said that as of March 24, 2023, fruit and vegetable sellers were able to transfer to the refurbished stalls at the basement of Block 4 numbering more than 600.

Emilio said that the stalls were properly zoned for better organization and convenience of both the sellers and the buyers.

With the return of most of the vendors to their old spaces at Blocks 3 and 4, they expect that only about 20 percent of the total number of displaced merchants will remain at the temporary relocation sites, Emilio said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo