Pasay City night market launched to support displaced vendors

MANILA, Philippines — The Pasay Night Market was inaugurated on Friday to give livelihood to displaced vendors and revive the city’s economy that was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ia-advertise namin ito para lalong matulungan ang nagtitinda at maging tourist spot ito sa lungsod. Mayroon kami pamamamaraan dito sa night market kaya ito binuksan para tumaas ang ekonomiya at mabigyan nang pagkakataon ang displaced vendors na makapaghanapbuhay lalo na nitong Pasko,” Pasay Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano said in an interview with reporters at the market’s launch in Baclaran.

(We will promote this night market to help vendors and so that it would become a tourist spot in the city. We have some changes here in the night market, and we opened it to revive the economy and allow vendors to work, especially during Christmas.)

In a Viber message to INQUIRER.net, Pasay Public Information Office said the night market, which has 132 stalls, is open during the holidays from December 2 to December 30 starting 5 p.m. until 12 midnight.

Rubiano also said they implemented a color-coding scheme, which means each stall can operate at a specific schedule.

The local government also sought police augmentation from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to help city marshals implement health protocols at the market.

Stall owners are given two warnings if they will violate lockdown rules. If the owner violates COVID-19 protocols on the third offense, the city government will immediately pull out the stall.

In an interview with the Inquirer, vendor Maricel Salem, a clothes vendor near Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations, said she moved her spot to the city night market because sidewalk vendors are banned there.

“Mahigpit na po ngayon doon [in LRT] nanghuhuli na po. Bawal na po ang sidewalk vendors,” she said.

(They have strict policies, some are apprehending sidewalk vendors.) [ac]