By LITO RULONA Correspondent ORGANIZED market vendors have accused the manager of the City Economic Enterprise Department (CEED) and at least two of his subordinates of selling rights to stalls in the public markets. The group, United Market Vendors Association (Umva), sought a city council investigation into the alleged anomalous transactions. Carmencita Borja, Umva president, and vendors named CEED manager Peter Abejuela and at least two CEED workers, and accused them of selling market stall rights from P25 thousand to P50 thousand each. Vendors also sent Mayor Oscar Moreno a handwritten letter that identified the official and two employees. The two CEED employees identified were Edna Hangao and Rico Pajo. Except for Hangao, there was no clear account about exactly how and when the demands for payments were made. The only clear account was on Hangao. Borja said market vendors Susan Lao of Puerto public market, Jean Alamban Sambalod, Maime dela Cruz and Saira Bagalong of Cogon public market wrote to Mayor Moreno to complain about the alleged anomaly. In a letter, dela Cruz, a vegetable vendor, alleged that Hangao asked her an initial payment of P5 thousand supposedly for her city hall papers. “Ang maong kantidad nahulog nga sohol aron maka-proseso me sa papeles sa stall namo. Nahulog og SOP man kay kung dili ko makahatag naa dayun mga istorya nga kami ipapahawa ug dili me makakuha ug business permit,” reads part of dela Cruz’s letter. Sambalod, who sells her wares at the second floor of Cogon market, also alleged that in January, Hangao demanded P15 thousand from her supposedly for a business permit, and another P10 thousand for processing. She alleged that she gave a total of P25 thousand to Hangao.Sambalod said she found out later that many other vendors at Cogon market were also victimized. She urged Moreno to immediately stop the alleged anomalous acts. Bagalong, for her part, alleged she had a similar experience with Hangao. Lao, another vendor, alleged that she also acquired a market stall through similar arrangements with CEED personnel. Councilor Dometillo Acenas Jr. said the city council’s economic enterprises committee has received the complaints, and would investigate. “I already asked Abejuela about it, and I was told they would answer the allegations during the investigation,” Acenas said. Meanwhile, Borja also complained that Abejuela closed down her beauty parlor or Cogon market stall no. 2F-PR-67 which she has been operating since 1992 or since the Emano administration. Borja said she asked CEED if it was possible for her to formally lease an adjoining stall because she wanted to expand her business. “I was told that I cannot be allowed to lease two stalls in my name, and that I would have to register the stall in someone else’s name in order to be able to rent it,” she said. Borja admitted that she circumvented the rule, and had the other stall registered under the name of Editha Padrilan who works for her. She said they have used the adjoining stall for about 10 years already or since the Emano administration. In 2014, Borja said, she was told by Abejuela that they would hold Padrilan’s business permit because of her delinquency. “I expressed my willingness to pay the arrears of the stall although I am not sure how it accumulated... I have been religiously paying my rent...” she said.