6 nabbed in Tarlac as city gov’t takes over disputed market lot

Tension erupts at the Victory Uptown Public Market on November 12, 2018 when Tarlac City employees attempted to evict vendors occupying a portion of the land being prepared for a city government building project. Market manager Art Non (right) argues with John Tomas (left). PHOTO by Maria Adelaida Calayag/Inquirer Central Luzon.

TARLAC CITY — Six vendors were arrested on Monday during a tense showdown between Tarlac City government employees and occupants of a private market who were ordered to leave the disputed lot.

Vendors of the Victory Uptown Public Market refused to vacate the 1,700 square-meter portion of the three-hectare trading area, which the city government says is its property.

The city government is putting up a building at that section of the market and had sent employees to eject its occupants and reinstall a government fence that was torn down three months ago.

About 100 vendors make a living at the disputed area.

At 10 a.m. on Monday, about a hundred city employees entered the area surprising the market vendors. Both sides agreed to maintain the status quo, but more government employees arrived in the afternoon leading to a confrontation between the vendors and the leader of the city team, John Tomas.

The police arrived in the area to keep the peace but ended up arresting six vendors who refused to leave the area, according to Chief Inspector Braulio Cuaresma Jr., Tarlac deputy chief of police.

The detained vendors were charged for resisting arrest.

A 19-year-old vendor identified only as Salman, who was held by the police, was treated for a head wound. “Someone hit me in the head. I didn’t know why they were putting cuffs on me,” he said.

Another vendor who was arrested brought along his seven-year-old child. “No one will take care of my child,” he said.

Victory Uptown was leased to the Paliparan Central Market Corporation (PCMC) in 2014 during the term of former Mayor Gelacio Manalang.

But Manalang’s successor, Mayor Ma. Cristina Angeles, asked the City Council to nullify the lease agreement, arguing that the deal was disadvantageous to the government.

In December 2017, PCMC offered to turn over 1,774 square meters of the leased property in exchange for reduced rent.

PCMC later secured a 20-day temporary restraining order against the city’s building project, which lapsed in October.

Art Non, Victory Uptown market supervisor, and his lawyer, Arlette Muan, protested the eviction.

“We paid rent here until November, but you came here treating us like criminals. Do you see any criminals?” Non said when he confronted Tomas and the city employees. /ee