Lingayen Vaunted Market Day to Return

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – Because of the generosity of a landed Filipino-American, the people of this capital town will experience again the once a week customary agew na tienda or big market day  lost from them for countless of decades.

California based Silvestre “Silver” A. Rayos, Jr. will donate 700 square meters’ parcel of land behind the back of McDonald to be used as public utility vehicles’ terminal and venue for a market day to be held either on Saturday or Sunday.

DONOR. Silver A. Rayos (right) poses with Lingayen Mayor Pol Bataoil in Chattanooga Restaurant in the capital town. Rayos donated a right of way in the poblacion area to be used by the constituents of the Mayor and will be giving a 700 square meters real property to be used as terminal of the public utility vehicles and venue for the agew na tienda or market day that was lost for decades in the coastal town.

“Nagdonate na ako ng right of way. In the meantime, pag natapos iyong right of way magkakaroon kami ng MOA between me and the municipality of a 7,000 sqm na gagawin na parking lot ng Lingayen. Sa likod ng McDo in between with the old market connecting to the new reclamation site. From there on every Sunday magiging ano iyong farmer’s market. Doon magtitinda iyong mga taga barrio at malalapit na lugar para ma stimulate ang economy ng Lingayen,” Rayos told this newspaper.

With a market day, producers as far as San Carlos City can sell their goods directly to the buyers for a cheaper price instead of vendors selling through middlemen.

During the interview with this writer, Rayos and Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil reminisced the traditional robust market day held every Saturday at the Rizal Park here.

Even in the United States, Silver Rayos maintains friendship with Pangasinan media practitioners. He met them through the social media's Facebook where he opines on political issues actively there. Rayos (second from right) is seen with bicycle legend and Sunday Punch's sports writer Jess Garcia (extreme left) and Northern Watch Newspaper's columnist Arnel Montemayor (2nd from left) where they exchange pleasantries over bottles of beers and sea foods at the Chattanooga in Lingayen complements of the Filipino-American.

The 50 something years old Lingayen born Rayos, who left the coastal town for the U.S when he was 21 years old, deplored that when Magic Mall built there during the administration of Mayor Nolan Evangelista the market day disappeared.

He said during the halcyon days vendors from various municipalities and cities in Pangasinan brought their wares for the market day.

“Minsan mga galing sa San Carlos doon nagtitinda ng goods nila mga bamboo production. Kung minsan pati iyong bakang pinaghahakot ng mga kuwan binebenta na rin. Uuwi (sila) ng dala pera na lang”.

Because of the 700 sqm donation, the vaunted agew na tienda, Rayos said the merchants will be happy with him.