Mang Larry’s Isawan exits UP Diliman after court ruling

Mang Larry’s Isawan has been ordered to vacate its main branch inside the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus after a court ruling in favor of the university, ending more than five decades of serving grilled street food to students and faculty.

At noon on February 20, personnel from the Quezon City Demolition Task Force, accompanied by members of the university’s Public Safety and Security Office and Campus Maintenance Office, went to the eatery’s longtime location to enforce the relocation order.

The closure stems from a legal dispute over unpaid rent. Court records cited rental arrears amounting to P47,500, with approximately P9,000 in interest, covering obligations since October 2021. The ruling also directed the payment of P5,000 per month for the use of the property starting November of the same year, along with a P1,000 case filing fee.

The initial decision favoring the university was issued in 2023. The Convencido family, which operates the business, appealed the ruling, delaying its finality. The decision became executory on September 16, 2024.

Elizabeth Convencido, wife of the proprietor, said they were not served an eviction notice prior to the arrival of authorities. She also maintained that the land in question had been sold to the Quezon City government in 2019 and that they had been paying rent to the city since then.

In a video shared on the establishment’s official Facebook page, originally posted by campus publication Tinig ng Plaridel, the couple’s son, Angelo, described how the eviction unfolded.

“For many years of moving from place to place, sometimes we fought, but that’s how it is — there are winners and there are losers,” the establishment said in a separate post in Filipino. “Even so, we are very grateful to UP for the opportunity to sell and sustain our family’s livelihood,” it added.

Despite the closure of its UP Diliman branch, Mang Larry’s assured customers that its outlets along Magiting Street and near the University of Santo Tomas will continue operating.

For generations of students, faculty members, and visitors, the eatery had become part of campus life. Its departure marks the end of a chapter for a business that grew alongside the university community for more than 50 years.