Stall owners against demolition of Narvacan market

BAGUIO CITY — Stall owners of the old Narvacan Public Market is asking for the intervention of the court to issue a Writ of Preliminary Injunction and/or Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the municipal government of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur.

The petitioners are the market vendors of the Old Narvacan Public Market at Barangay San Jose, Narvacan, Ilocos Sur while the respondents are the Local Government Unit represented by its Mayor Pablito Sanidad, the Sangguniang Bayan, Commission on Audit Narvacan and a construction firm. The petition was filed before the Regional Trial Court in Narvacan seeking to stop the ongoing demolition of the old Narvacan Public Market.

The stall owners argued that they have unequivocally asserted their rights over the subjected properties where they claimed that such rights were blatantly violated by their local government. This is in connection to the closure of the Old Public Market as they are being told to relocate at the new market. 

The new market was constructed in March 2022 under the administration of former Mayor Chavit Singson. On June 2023, the market vendors were given a notice of formal closure of the old market and they were even notified that their leases will expire on 30 June of the same year.

They were told to comply to the formal closure and cease their business operations claiming they were not given any information regarding their occupancy at the new market as promised by Singson.