Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas — along with her daughter, Thea — personally visited the Iloilo Terminal Market, encouraging Ilonggos to buy local amid the oil crisis and rising prices of goods.
“Nagpaninda kami kaina ni Thea sa Iloilo Terminal Market para sa Semana Santa. Barato guid kag dako ang ma save naton kung sa merkado kita ga paninda and aside sa barato fresh pa,” the mayor said in a Facebook post.
(Thea and I went shopping yesterday at the Iloilo Terminal Market for the Holy Week. It’s cheap and we can save a lot if we buy in the market, and aside from cheap, it’s fresh.)
Aside from checking on market conditions, Treñas also took time to speak with stall owners to further explain the local government unit’s decision to allow “bolanteros,” or displaced vendors coming from different parts of Western Visayas, to sell their goods every Tuesday in the city’s redeveloped public markets.
She also assured stall owners that the local government’s move will not affect their income.
“Guin kamusta man naton ang mga stall owners especially naplastar na naton ang mga bolanteros from all over Panay every Tuesday lang para hindi guid ma affected ang ila na income sasulod merkado naton,” she said.
(We also checked on the stall owners, especially since we have already organized ‘bolanteros’ from all over Panay to come in only every Tuesday so that their income inside the market will not be affected).
Treñas added that the city has provided schedules for bolanterosacross all Iloilo City’s public markets on designated market days so they can sell their products for their livelihood.
“Nahatagan naman naton schedule ang mga bolanteros sa tanannaton na merkado para sa market day kag makabaligya sila,” she said.
(We’ve already provided schedules for ‘bolanteros’ across all our markets during Market Day so they can sell their products).
The Iloilo City Government entered into a 25-year lease agreement with SM Prime Holdings, which invested around P1.5 billion and P2.5 billion, respectively, to modernize the Iloilo Central Market and the Iloilo Terminal Market, transforming them into clean, safe, and efficient commercial hubs.
The redeveloped markets now house around 2,000 stalls, providing improved facilities for vendors and a more comfortable and organized shopping experience for consumers.
The Iloilo Central Public Market operates from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., while the Terminal Public Market is open from 1:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
The market redevelopment aligns with the local government’s “My Heart Beats in Iloilo City” campaign, which aims to showcase the city’s unique heritage and culture while fostering a strong emotional connection between residents and their city.
