VENDORS of Agdao Farmers Market wanted clearer partitions of the market after observing no improvement in their sales when the city temporarily merged the dry goods and vegetable sections.
Gerardo Castillo, Agdao market supervisor, told Davao City Disaster Radio Monday that they allowed the variety section on the second floor to sell vegetables to entice marketgoers.
This follows the resolution passed by Councilor Edgar Ibuyan during the 11th regular session on March 22 requesting the City Economic Enterprise (CEE) allow the vendors temporarily.
Not only that, they also allowed the vegetable and variety vendors to sell at the entrance of the building and on the first floor from 5-8 a.m. and 3-8 p.m. on weekdays and the whole day on weekends.
“Gisulayan namo na sa dry-run and maayo ang resulta, the business is doing good,” Castillo said.
Not good enough
However, Rosa, 63, a vendor in the variety section, told TIMES on Wednesday she doesn’t personally benefit from the temporary set-up as she can’t display on the first floor and carry goods back and forth, given her age.
“Dili man ko naga-laray kay senior naman ko, magkasakit pako dihaa, kulang pa among kita ipa-ospital,” she said.
Rosa manages her stall alone after terminating her helper for not earning enough to pay her salary.
She shared she pays P4,700 for the monthly rent for her space, while she earns roughly around P500-P1000 daily, compared to her previous P4,500-P5,000 in the old Agdao market and on a lesser monthly rent.
Reynaldo Alocelja, 62, also a vendor in the variety section mostly sells bamboo sticks and wooden household items, earning roughly around P1,000-P2,000 daily. 
“Lahi rajud tong naa mi sa ubos kay haghang halin kay daghang tawo ang mangagi, nya karon na naa namis taas, gamay rag kita,” Reynaldo said.
He had to stop displaying items in the slot provided on the first floor following a slow return of sales for almost two weeks.
Reynaldo said there were days they could only break even. He shared he pays P6,000 monthly for the rent, not to mention electric bills and daily operations.
The plea
Ligaya Uba, president of the Agdao Public Market Dry Goods and Variety Section, told reporters more stall owners will surrender due to profit loss if the variety section is not transferred to the first floor.
Signs bearing “Surrendered stalls” and notices of closure order due to failure to pay fees were found on the second floor.
Uba added the vendors collectively called CEE to permanently transfer them to the commercial space on the first floor where the variety section was originally placed in the old market.
“Pagbuhat sa bag-ong building, gitanggal sila [variety] gibalhin sa taas ug gibaligya ang commercial space para sa lain products nga wala ginabaligya sa palengke,” Uba said.
Uba stressed the unoccupied space should be for dry goods and variety, for if banks, parlors, and other establishments occupy the space it will no longer look like a market but rather an office.
In the position paper addressed to Councilor Augusto “Javi” Campos III, the vendors requested shade in Aquino Road if their stay would be allowed permanently.
Campos, in his privilege speech addressed during the May 21 regular session of the city council, of 347 awardees, only 214 are operational, while the rest partially opened but are currently non-operational and some have given up the stalls.
Campos reported this following consultative meetings on April 17, May 2, and May 9 where stakeholders were invited.
“This is quite alarming because this is not just an issue of promotion or lack of advertising of the Agdao Public Market. There are real issues that are affecting our enterprise, and we cannot allow this to continue,” Campos said.
The concerns raised to the council include low return on investments due to the “uninviting atmosphere” of the building, flooring design posing risks to customers and vendors, non-functional walkalator, and the disorganized market layout.
The resolution was considered read under the first reading and referred to relevant committees for appropriate solutions.
