Iloilo City’s rehabilitated public markets have recorded a combined foot traffic of 10 million since reopening last year, as the facilities continue to draw shoppers as well as local government units interested in the city’s market management practices.
Maricel Mabaquiao, head of the Local Economic and Enterprise Office (LEEO), reported the figures to Mayor Raisa Treñas during a Livability Cluster meeting with city government department heads.
According to the report, more than 20 local government units have also conducted benchmarking activities at Iloilo City’s public markets to study best practices that could be adopted in their respective areas, particularly in market management and operations.
The city also posted a 2.69-percent growth in collections from its seven public markets and slaughterhouse from January to June 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.
Meanwhile, the city reported 975 vacant stalls across the Central, Terminal, La Paz, Jaro Big, Arevalo and Mandurriao public markets.
Despite the vacancies, 1,548 applicants are currently waiting for market stalls. The Market Committee is continuing the adjudication process to determine qualified applicants and facilitate the turnover of available stalls.
Iloilo City has undertaken major rehabilitation and redevelopment of its public markets as part of efforts to modernize the facilities while improving the experience of vendors and marketgoers.
The city government said cluster meetings among department heads are regularly conducted by Mayor Treñas to identify concerns that need immediate attention and determine areas where government services and operations can still be improved.
