New market, new hopes

Trade center This flea market provides livelihood not only to displaced street vendors and hawkers in Tacloban City but also to local farmers who now use the place as trading center. Elmer Recuerdo

TACLOBAN CITY — Hundreds of street vendors and hawkers in this city who were displaced by the nationwide campaign to clear sidewalk vendors found a new home.

The city government of Tacloban will hold today the grand opening of “Taboan ha Norte Tacloban” or “Flea Market at Tacloban North” at the ground floor of the City Hall Satellite Office which is an extension office of the local government to serve new residents displaced by super typhoon “Yolanda.”

Apart from offering new stalls for displaced street vendors and hawkers, the flea market will also serve as trading center for local farmers.

Market Superintendent Joel Bugho said the new market will primarily serve farming communities north of the city as well as vending posts for street hawkers who were affected in the city clearing operations.

Over 15,000 families formerly living in high-risk areas of the city were relocated to the northern villages where the National Housing Authority as well as some non-government organizations constructed permanent housing units for the “Yolanda” victims.

Bugho added that the opening of the new market will bring convenience to the relocated families, many of them would normally travel 12 kilometers to the city just to do marketing chores.

He added that the market is part of the overall vision of Mayor Alfred Romualdez for the northern part of the city where the local government is also planning to set up a hub to provide an array of frontline government services in the area for the convenience of the resettled communities.

The highlight of the grand opening of the new market is the distribution of tractors to nine farmers’ associations as well as awarding of market slots to farmers and displaced vendors.