Marawi evacuees offered stalls in local mall for livelihood

The city government has allocated space for the stalls of some 50 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Marawi City inside the newly-opened Diyandi Fiesta Park in Dona Maria in Barangay Tipanoy.

Iligan City Councilor Sol Bacsarpa, over-all chairperson of the Diyandi Festival sa Ilgan 2017, said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)-Iligan paid for the rental at P4,500 for each stall to provide IDPs staying in different evacuation centers in the city with livelihood opportunities.

“The DTI is renting 50 stalls here at 4,500 pesos each for the IDPs to do their business until Oct. 15. This is their (DTI) project. There will be dry goods stalls, food stalls, para mahatagan sila og kahigayonan nga maka-negosyo, kay by nature, mga negosyante na sila didto sa Marawi,” Bacsarpa said.

The Diyandi Fiesta Park formally opened last September 13 although carnival rides and other amusement-related businesses have been operating here since the first week of the month.

The park, formerly known as Mugna, changed to Taboan sa Iligan, and now to Diyandi Fiesta Park, operates by virtue of a local ordinance and is part of the monthlong celebration of the city’s annual fiesta.

The city fiesta celebration falls on the 29th of September.

Bacsarpa said the park is called Diyandi Fiesta Park because the theme is “family gathering and funfare.”

“The city government has changed the name into Diyandi Fiesta Park to be consistent in our celebration because we have already an ordinance to institutionalize the festival that we call Diyandi,” Bacsarpa explained.

The official Diyandi Festival celebration will be on Sept. 20 to the first Monday of October (this year, first Monday of October falls on the 2nd day). Sept. 20 is the ritual of the Catholic Iliganons where they are going to bring down the image of the patron St. Michael De Archangel form the altar to down to the main entrance of the church where devotees can easily access for their prayers. / The DTI is renting 50 stalls here at 4,500 pesos each for the IDPs to do their business until Oct. 15. This is their (DTI) project. There will be dry goods stalls, food stalls, para mahatagan sila og kahigayonan nga maka-negosyo, kay by nature, mga negosyante na sila didto sa Marawi.