The Malitapay Market in Zamboanguite, on the road to the jetty for the boats to Apo Island, is a farmers’ market held every Wednesday.

Unfortunately, this beautiful and once well-attended market has not returned to its former life after the pandemic.

We arrived there before lunchtime and there was not much going on. At the once bustling livestock market with pigs, goats, cattle and water buffalo, the few livestock traders were already heading home with their purchases, where just three years ago at this time here was passionate haggling, pigs running through my legs and hardly any space left.

On this day, the eateries were closed, the open fires already extinguished and the operators were already packing up their pots and dishes.

A sad sight. I was able to talk to some of the market owners and they were all of the opinion that the market had lost its attractiveness after the pandemic. The now very nice Sunday market in Valencia may have contributed to this.

At the end of our market tour, we bought some bananas for home and drove back to the neighbouring community of Dauin after our visit to Zamboanguita and the Malitapay market.

HOW TO GO THERE: