Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo “Imok” Rupinta (top photo, right with microphone) lays down the conditions for the vendors to continue to sell fish along Calderon St. during Friday’s meeting at the barangay’s sports complex. CDN PHOTOs/JUNJIE MENDOZA
Nearly 200 fish vendors along F. Calderon St. in Barangay Ermita in Cebu City will no longer have to worry about being removed from their vending area if they will comply with the conditions set by the barangay officials.
The fish vendors of two vendors associations agreed with the conditions for them to sell fish in the area during a meeting on Friday with Councilor Dave Tumulak, deputy mayor on police matters, and Barangay Ermita officials led by Barangay Captain Felicisimo “Imok” Rupinta at the barangay’s sports complex.
One of the conditions is that barangay officials will have to rearrange the designated areas of the vendors to equally divide their stall assignments. This will give more space for the road so that vehicles can easily pass through the area.
“Sa karon, mag-rearrange ta sa stalls. Idea ning Dave Tumulak. Okay ko adto (For now, we will rearrange the stalls as what Councilor Dave Tumulak suggested. I’m okay with it),” said Rupinta.
Another condition is for the vendors to maintain cleanliness in the area especially after their assigned vending time.
Yesterday’s meeting was set up after barangay tanods under the order of Rupinta cleared Calderon St. area of fish vendors last Oct. 28.
The fish vendors protested their removal from their vending area at City Hall, where Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered the vendors to return to their area and continue selling fish.
Rupinta allowed them to return and set Friday’s meeting with the vendors and Tumulak to find a solution to the problem.
Daisy Jovelyn Gomez, Calderon Barracks Association (CBA) president, said that with the agreement, they hoped that they could continue selling in their vending areas.
“That’s just what we all wanted, that we could still sell in our areas because there’s no other way of living that we know of but this,” Gomez said in Cebuano.
She said the CBA had no problem in complying with the condition to maintain cleanliness in the area.
The group had already started to address the odor and dirty areas after their vending hours.
“Nagpalit mi og makina para flushing. Nag-suhol pud mi og laing tawo para mo-kolekta g’yud sa mga basura sa taga isdaan ra g’yud (We bought our own flushing machine. We also paid another person to collect the garbage of the fish vendors),” she said.
The CBA has 85 vendors.
Marivic Cose, Calderon Vendors Association (CVA) president, said that the group supports the rearrangement of vending areas because these are not equally divided.
Cose said this had even caused misunderstandings among other vendors from the other association.
The CVA has 98 members.