Around 200 vendors affected by the closure of a privately-owned public market staged a protest in front of the Pasay City Hall along F.B. Harrison Street on Monday, Jan. 12.
Vendors protest the closure of Wowee market in Pasay City. (Photo courtesy of Pasay City Police)
According to the police, the vendors, led by Wowee Market Vendors Association President Michael Babasa and Vice President Heidi De Jesus Cahatol, held a protest rally from 7:30 a.m. to 10:10 a.m.
The vendors called for the reopening of Wowee Market located along Taft Avenue in Barangay 97, Pasay City, the restoration of their livelihood, and recognition of their right to sustain their families.
The protesters emphasized that the market serves as their primary source of income and daily subsistence.
Wowee Market was ordered closed on Dec. 19 by the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) after it repeatedly failed to comply with mandatory requirements for securing a business permit.
In a statement, BPLO officer-in-charge Atty. Patrick Legaspi said the closure order was served following the consistent failure of the market owner, Yok Tin Tan So, to comply with essential regulatory requirements necessary for legal operation.
Legaspi noted that Wowee Market lacked several required permits, including a Building Permit, Occupancy Permit, and Sanitary Permit.
He added that the owner had been issued multiple Notices to Comply from December 2024 up to June 25, 2025. Despite these notices, the owner failed to submit the required documents and did not take corrective action to secure the appropriate business permit.