Bernie Anabo Jr.
This is not governance. This is raw, vindictive power unleashed on ordinary people.
The closure of Wowee Market in Pasay City is being condemned as a brazen act of injustice, one that stripped residents of access to affordable vegetables and basic food supplies — and robbed hundreds of vendors of their only means of survival.
The Pasay City government, under the Calixto family, ordered the shutdown without a clear legal basis, despite the market’s full compliance with tax obligations and requirements set by the city’s own Business Permit and Licensing Office. Even more alarming: the market was allegedly not allowed to pay for its permit, effectively blocking it from operating — a move critics say reeks of political persecution.
POLITICS OVER PEOPLE
The real motive, many believe, is political vendetta.
Rumors circulated that the market was owned by “Aling Maliit” or Yorme Mangguera, fueling hostility from the Calixto camp. In truth, the market is owned by a relative of Mangguera — yet that distinction did nothing to stop what many see as a calculated attack.
This is not an isolated case. Even Mangguera’s construction business reportedly faces the same pattern: complete documents, proper tax payments — yet no permits issued. A government weaponized by politics, critics say, is punishing those it sees as enemies.
VENDORS CRUSHED, DIGNITY STOLEN
The real victims?
The vendors. The workers. The families.
Hundreds of small traders who relied on Wowee Market’s daily income were suddenly left with nothing. No warning. No due process. No compassion.
“Open Wowee Market!” they cried — a desperate plea not just for a business to reopen, but for their right to earn a living.
Pasayenyos for Justice and Accountability openly condemned what they called the systematic harassment by the Calixto administration — not only against the Mangguera family, but against the poorest sectors who are always the first casualties of political wars.
A DANGEROUS WAY OF RULING
Yorme Wowee Mangguera urged vendors to stand firm, saying this fight goes beyond one family or one market.
“This is about every poor Pasayeño who could be the next victim of this kind of governance,” he warned.
And that warning should chill everyone.
Because if a city hall can close a legal business today, what stops them from doing it again tomorrow?
December doesn’t have to be the only time misery is served — under this kind of leadership, it can happen anytime, simply because those in power believe they own the city and everyone in it.
A MESSAGE TO CITY HALL’S ENABLERS
To the loyalists and foot soldiers of the Calixto administration:
Do not be tools of injustice.
Follow the law — not political orders.
Enforce what is right — not what is convenient.
Pasay deserves leadership that serves its people, not a ruling family that survives on fear, favoritism, and political revenge.
This is not public service.
This is abuse of power — and the people are watching.
