18 hurt in Quezon City market demolition
Those injured included students from UP
By Marlon Ramos
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:45:00 03/05/2008
MANILA, Philippines – Eighteen persons were hurt Wednesday morning when vendors, stall owners and University of the Philippines students clashed with a demolition team of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) at the Philcoa Wet and Dry Market on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City.
Those injured, including four UP students, were brought to the East Avenue Medical Center and other nearby hospitals.
One of the injured was identified as Vincent Marid, former editor in chief of The Philippine Collegian, the university’s official student paper.
Also hurt were four members of the demolition team and 10 vendors belonging to the Pinagkaisang Manininda ng Philcoa Multipurpose Cooperative.
One of the injured vendors said he was hit on the head with a piece of wood with a three-inch nail by MMDA personnel.
Bobby Esquivel, head of the MMDA Road Clearing Operations Group, alleged UP students provoked the market vendors and started the melee.
He said several vendors and students stoned MMDA personnel who were tearing down the market’s roofs around 9 a.m.
“We’re not here to start a fight. We’re just doing our job,” he told reporters.
“It would have proceeded smoothly if the UP students had not interfered in the operations,” a visibly irked Esquivel said.
But stall owners said the brawl started when some members of the demolition team attacked their leaders and UP students negotiating with MMDA officers.
“We’re humans, not animals. Why are they treating us this way?” lamented stall owner Heidi Mañoza, adding that they asked Esquivel to give them at least three days to build makeshift stalls.
She said they should not be evicted as they were renting the place from UP and they paid for business permits and local taxes.
Mañoza said the demolition affected at least 200 vendors and stall owners.
Mañoza said the MMDA did not have any court order for the demolition. Esquivel, however, said they met with stall owners to tell them about the demolition as early as October.
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