KALIBO, Aklan – “Talipapa” or roadside flea markets have mushroomed along barangay roads and the provincial highway here as people try to avoid crowding the public market due to the coronavirus disease pandemic.
Vendors inside the Kalibo public market complained that these talipapa were giving them tight if not unfair competition.
Should the municipal government stop the operation of these talipapa?
Sangguniang Bayan member Ronald Marte said the talipapa in the barangays may remain open but he expressed concern over the implementation of the minimum health standards in them. Are social distancing and the wearing of facemask and face shield being observed?
The talipapa, he pointed out, must give Kalibonhons the convenience to buy their daily household needs such as a variety of fresh produce without the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus.
Marte also said these flea markets’ sanitation must be ensured and that they must not cause traffic congestion.
He pointed out that meat sold in flea markets may not have been slaughtered properly and may not have been inspected by the Kalibo Sanitary Office.
But he also acknowledged that, “Mahirap pag mawala ang flea markets dahil karamihan sa may negosyo sa talipapa ay nawalan din ng trabaho dahil sa pandemic.”
The federation president of the Liga ng mga Barangay thus said the Municipal Economic Enterprise and Development Office and all barangay councils must find a “win-win” solution for the operation of the talipapa./PN
