Cleaning up after themselves

Whatever one can say about him, Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo Rupinta had a point in pressuring vendors to clean up after themselves in light of the complaints from nearby residents and motorists inconvenienced by their presence in the road near the Carbon Market area.

Last week, the two fishing vendors’ associations agreed that they would clean their vending areas after they’ve finished selling their fish in a meeting called for by Rupinta and mediated by Councilor and Deputy Mayor Dave Tumulak.

The two associations also agreed on delineating the vending areas so they won’t have to inconvenience the motorists who pass through nor the nearby residents who complained about the foul odor emanating from the area where the fish vendors do their business.

Rupinta earlier drew fire for his practice of collecting “arkbala” or a fee that supposedly goes either to cleaning the areas occupied by the fish vendors or pays for the people who cleans them up.

While the local administration planned to elevate the issue to the Commission on Audit (COA), Rupinta explained that the amount is being used for cleanup after the residents complained about the foul odor produced by the fish sold by vendors there.

That foul odor was used as the reason for the removal of these vendors from their designated vending areas, and this forced them to call on City Hall officials for intervention.

Would the agreement between the barangay officials and the fish vendors take hold? More importantly, will the 200 fish vendors of two associations hold their end of the deal and work to clean their area as they should?

While the populist and politically motivated would denounce to high heavens the “forced removal” of vendors from areas where they shouldn’t be selling in the first place, it’s high time that city residents demand accountability from those who deprive pedestrians and motorists of whatever road space there is just to earn a living.

Everyone, except the moneyed and powerful, needs to earn a living, and that’s the common reason every vendor uses to justify his or her presence in setting up their own vending space in whatever area and commercial lot there is even if they have no permission to do so from the landowner or the government.

But as former Parañaque mayor and now Marikina Rep. Bayani Fernando has shown, there is a limit to public patience and tolerance for vendors who decide on their own to set up shop wherever they feel like without taking into consideration the inconvenience they cause on others.

In agreeing to the conditions set by barangay officials, we hope for their sakes that the fish vendors of Barangay Ermita hold themselves accountable and clean up after themselves as well as avoid encroaching on areas not designated for them.