Vendors want their spaces back, say they all need to earn a living

Vendors in Mandaue City play cat and mouse with market authorities as they persist in displaying their wares even after the demolition of their stalls last week.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO

MANDAUE CITY DEMOLITION

Some 50 ambulant vendors trooped to the Mandaue City Hall on Monday to protest the demolition of their stalls last week.

Donning black T-shirts, the vendors met with Acting Mayor Carlo Fortuna and City Administrator Danilo Almendras to appeal for a chance to be allowed to sell again.

Prior to last week’s demolition, the ambulant vendors plied their wares along P. Gomez, P.J. Burgos and Ceniza Streets in Barangays Guizo and Mantuyong where their continued stay became the subject of a complaint by legitimate market vendors as they had not been paying lease, business permits nor regulatory fees to the city.

Aside from that, the vendors were found to impede traffic in the area.

The Mandaue City government started to clear the area of around 600 illegally built market stalls last Tuesday to decongest the streets and maximize sidewalks for the smooth flow of traffic.

In a Facebook post last week, Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing said that the demolitions were part of a wider effort to return the pavements and sidewalks to the pedestrians for their safety.

“Given the problem the city is facing, we can no longer afford to close down roads or allow any more hindrances,” Quisumbing said.

Bringing with them a petition letter signed by 221 ambulant vendors, Monday’s protestors asked Quisumbing to reconsider.

Rowena Perez, 47, an ambulant vendor, told officials that since their stalls were demolished, they have been having problems making ends meet.
“Wala na miskwela akong mga anak kay wala man koy mahatag nga bawon nila (My children stopped going to school because I could not give them their allowance),” said Perez who has 11 children, seven of whom were in school.

The vendors asked the city government to allow them to continue selling in the area until the construction of the new Mandaue City Market will have been completed in August.

“Magpadaplin lang gyud mi para dili mi maka-traffic (We will just stay at the side of the road so that we could not cause traffic),” she said.

They lamented that the Notice for Clearing did not undergo consultation and was solely ordered by City Legal Officer Omar Redula.

“While there is no clear plan and program yet for the affected vendors and while the Mandaue City Public Market is still under construction, reinstall us, the sidewalk and ambulant vendors along Ceniza, Zamora, and Gomez streets observing one-side and one-lane vending; and implement maximum tolerance,” the petition read.

The vendors also proposed compromise agreements including operating during weekends for a maximum of 17 hours from 3 p.m. to 8 a.m. and a minimum of 14 hours from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m.; and whole day operations during weekends for perishable goods, fish, meat and vegetables.

They also proposed a specialized market scheme by setting up a night market similar to that in Cebu City for those with merchandise and other retail dry goods like ready-to-wear clothes.

The vendors said that if the city will not heed their suggestions, they will ask the provincial government to intercede.

But Mandaue City officials were not keen on the vendors’ request for reinstatement.

“We have explained to them that they can look for a place. Then we can help them become legitimate vendors by securing necessary permits,” Fortuna said in a press conference yesterday.

Mandaue City officials stood firm to disallow ambulant vendors from occupying sidewalks or roads.

Lawyer Elaine Bathan, the mayor’s chief of staff, explained that a city ordinance enacted way back in 2001 regulates the city’s sidewalks and main thoroughfares to keep them free from obstructions.

She also said that contrary to the vendors’ claim, the city has been consulting with the vendors since last year.

The vendors, Bathan said, promised Quisumbing that they will be moving out of the area by December, but failed to do so.

“We cannot allow them to go back to sidewalks and streets. We have very clear mandate. Sidewalk and streets should be clear from any obstruction and vendors,” Bathan said.