Fiesta trade fair war

Pay-Mayor orders;

We stay-Welyn declares

This year's city fiesta turns out with two trade fairs: one is sponsored by the city government and the other is organized by private individuals. But Mayor Gerardo Valmayor, Jr. insists that "they need to secure permits."

Ukay-ukay! Customers busily digging a pile of used RTWs in Liwelyn Agravante’s
ukay-ukay tent. 

The beginning

On October 8, tents started rising in front of Gaisano City San Carlos along FC Ledesma Avenue in preparation for a trade fair for the city fiesta on November 3 to 5. But this fair which exhibits used RTWs, slippers, trinkets among other items is not sponsored by the city government. It is chiefly organized by businessman Liwelyn Agravante.

The next day, just as some stall owners were  arranging stocks, employees from the Business Processing and Licensing Office (BPLO) arrived to inspect and found out that the small transient stores have no Mayor's Permits and the owners have not yet paid their dues to the city hall.

In his letter sent to Cristina Combate, BPLO licensing officer, on October 10, Agravante, accused that he and other stall owners were "publicly pressured…to stop our business activities" because they do not have permits to operate.

Combate, in an interview with NRWP, denied the accusations in Agravante's letter and said that there is no pressure but that she advised the businessman to present his trade fair program to Valmayor.

"Kami pa gani ning adto niya nga kung unsa iyang programa, iya usang ipresentar ni Mayor kay naa man puy project si Mayor nga trade fair," Combate said referring to the fair at the back of the city hall on San Julio Realty, Inc. grounds.

Fighting stance

However, Agravante refuses to budge an inch stating that, "We will nevertheless push through with the operation of the business, regardless of the issuance or non-issuance of any permit." He cited several grounds in his letter.

First, the businessman defended that they have already fully paid Gaisano City San Carlos and both parties have signed a contract stating that the exhibit is from October 8 to November 8, 2012. A copy of the certificate of the said contract is attached to Aggravante's letter.

Second, Aggravante contests that the City Revenue Code or Ordinance No. 1026 s. of 2010 is "not applicable to transient and temporary business activities" and third, that the city or other cities and municipalities where he had organized trade fairs do not require business permits.

Pay

To all these arguments, Valmayor only has one answer: "Even though they are transient, they need to secure the permits."

The mayor added that he is giving Aggravante’s group of trade fair exhibitors time to secure the permits until October 12. If they fail, he has already asked the BPLO to look at "all our options."

Combate also added that Philippine cities lawfully require businesses to secure permits before commencing but she admitted that there is no specification on transient businesses on the city's Revenue Code.

As of press time, the licensing officer categorically said that Agravante has not applied for a business permit nor accomplished application forms and the Mayor is still waiting for the businessman to see him in his office.

However, based on NRWP’s interview with one of the stall owners, who asked not to be named, they had paid Agravante their rent amounting to P 5,000 to P 6,000.

They thought that the trade fair organizer has already processed the needed permits as they were told that their payments are already inclusive of licensing fees. This has always been the practice in trade fairs and they did not know that Agravante didn’t get permits yet, the source told. 

Security issue

For his part, Association of Barangay Councils President and Pintaflores Committee chairman Mark Cui said that more than the permits is the issue of security. Cui explained that during the planning of the city's trade fair the security plan was  laid out and it includes the distribution of the city's scant police force and barangay tanods. He said that having only one venue for transient trade focuses the security details.

For Cui, sanitation is another issue because he noticed that there are no portable toilets and garbage receptacles in their area in front of Gaisano.

Cui, the barangay captain of Palampas to which Gaisano City's area belongs, is also dismayed that this problem arose since the city has opened the bidding for the management of the trade fair for the first time this year. The committee sent invitations to several businessmen who may be interested in  operating the fair.

Only two parties joined the bidding-a group represented by Cui's brother-in-law, Jun Cortez, and Ligaya Buhat. Cortez' group won. 

"Everybody was invited to bid. Some joined. Some didn't. Now they're competing," the mayor said.

He further explained that the fiesta fair needs to be located at the SJRI grounds because there are more stalls and a carnival thus a bigger space is required than the plaza. He is not inclined to believe the trade fair at the back of the city hall is less lucrative than when it is placed near the city center where other business establishments are also located.

On Agravante's part, he closed his letter with a statement that warns the BPLO not to make any "physical" move against the trade fair he has put up else he will file a case before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas.