By MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City — Kasadya Bacolod is in hot water for its alleged involvement in the operation of ukay-ukay (used clothing) stalls along the Gatuslao Street side of the public plaza here.
The foundation organized last year’s MassKara Festival.
Marfe Fernandez, one of the ukay-ukay vendors, disclosed in a television interview that they paid Kasadya Bacolod to let them sell at the public plaza.
Armed with a receipt, she said the foundation, in exchange for P300,000, allowed them to ply their trade from April 1 to June 1.
Mayor Monico Puentevella said he will have the matter investigated.
He had already ordered the removal of the ukay-ukay stalls. Since last week, the city government has demolished 32 stalls.
Now that their stalls were taken down, the vendors will demand from Kasadya Bacolod the return of their payment, Fernandez said.
She said they paid the foundation twice: P150,000 in January and another P150,000 on April 3.
“I am in Sulawesi, Indonesia, right now,” Kasadya Bacolod chair Roderick Samonte told Panay News in a text message when reached for comment. “I am not aware of the issue. I have no access to our local newspapers there, thus, I cannot make any comment yet.”
Samonte said he will be back on Saturday yet.
Puentevella said the demolition of ukay-ukay stalls at the public plaza was part of efforts to beautify the area./PN
