On Higalaay Festival Market: Balaba wants transparency on stall fees, fair access for vendors

COUNCILOR Joyleen Mercedes L. Balaba called for transparency and fairness in the collection of stall fees of the proposed Higalaay Festival Market at the Rio de Oro Boulevard.

In the recent council session, the lady councilor questioned where the festival stall fees will go, whether private organizers will pay taxes and fees for the use of the Rio de Oro Boulevard, which is supposed to be free during the fiesta.

“If there is a portion of Rio de Oro Boulevard intended for high-end na mga stalls, then, to be fair, there must be a portion intended for low-end,” the councilor added, noting the potential discriminatory nature of categorizing stalls as high-end or low-end.

She said that it would be bias to those who will rent ₱50,000 from the private organizer and those who will occupy the free section because they are on the same street.

“Kung inana, pwede ra unta ni sa tanan ug nganong kani ra man certain private organizer? We must allow other private organizations to do the same kay long strip man ang boulevard,” Balaba argued.

In response, Councilor Jay R. Pascual stated that the ₱50,000 fee covers expenses for tents, cleaners, security, portalets, electricity, and water.

Anyone may apply to set up stalls at the Rio de Oro Boulevard provided that they adhere to strict sanitation and infrastructure standards, he added.

The Higalaay Festival Market, a special event of this year’s Higalaay Festival, is set to bring an exciting marketplace to Rio de Oro Boulevard from August 2 to 31.