Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto will deploy five small mobile markets that are eyed to reduce the number of customers in its main wet markets and bring goods closer to the barangays.
Sotto called the new initiative “Mobile Palengke” or “Mobile Market,” which is a vehicle converted into a small market where his constituents can buy food, water and other groceries.
“To reduce the amount of people in Pasig Mega Market and [talipapa], we launched the MOBILE market. Market price, closer to the buyer, and help for Pasigueño maninkers (rice, meat, vegetables) comes from Mega Market,” Sotto said on a social media post, adding the hashtag #SocialDistancing.
The local chief executive also reminded Pasig residents that the moving stores might take a week before they can reach the most difficult areas of the city.
“Paalala muli kung gaano kalaki ang operations na ito—imposibleng maperpekto sa napaka iksing panahon. Aabot ng 7 araw bago maikutan ang lahat ng pinaka mahihirap na lugar sa Pasig,” he said.
The schedule of these mobile markets will be posted on the official accounts of Pasig’s Public Information Office.
Deploying mobile markets
A Facebook user named Jeric Cariño Cinco on Monday suggested that the mobile market should sell both wet and dry goods and should be scheduled in every barangay, and accepts online payment.
He also said the local government units should prevent residents from hoarding and limit their purchases.
Columnist Manuel Quezon III, however, said the strategy of deploying rolling stores or satellite markets had been proposed by some social media users since the start of the enhanced community quarantine last week.
“People have been advocating rolling stores practically from Day 1. Thank goodness some local executives listened,” he tweeted.
Amid the wave of praises for his new initiative, Sotto commented on his post that other LGUs have also been implementing their own versions of the mobile market.
“Hindi lang po kami ang may mobile palengke! May ibang LGU na nauna sa min!” he said.
Aside from Pasig, Pasay city government in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry is also set to launch their own rolling store which will deliver food packs and other goods to the residents.
The city government’s initiative came a few days after the Philippine Star shared photos of Pasig residents crowding a local market on social media.
In his response, Sotto said that the situation shown in the news outlet’s photos is also an issue in other cities in Metro Manila. He also made a quick reminder that purchasing food and other needs is exempted in quarantine rules.
Sotto placed this under another post telling the public that he will not impose quarantine passes in Pasig.
“Tandaan natin may exemption para sa bumibili ng pagkain kaya di maiwasan na may tao pa rin sa mga talipapa (problema ito sa mga bilihan sa buong NCR),” Sotto said.
“Pero sa tulong ng PNP at barangay, mas strikto na rin tayo ngayon sa social distancing. At kapag masyado na maraming tao, kahit exempted di muna papapasukin,” he added.
Sotto and mayors Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela City, Marcelino Teodoro of Marikina, Isko Moreno of Manila, and Kit Nieto of Cainta in Rizal recently became popular on social media for their COVID-19 efforts in their respective jurisdictions.