PROBE regulating sidewalk vendors along B. Rodriguez

The vendors along the sidewalk of B. Rodriguez Street will be regulated by the PROBE team. CDN Digital photo | St. Benilde Intern Enrique Bejar

CEBU CITY, Philippines — After a successful regulation of sidewalk vendors along Colon Street, the Public Restoration, Beautification, and Enhancement (Probe) team is now focusing on vendors along B. Rodriguez Street here. 

According to Probe head, Racquel Arce, sidewalk vendors along B. Rodriguez Street  have signed a memorandum of agreement with the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in the recent years, allowing them to operate outside the hospital. 

Read: PROBE: Only 100 vendors will be allowed on the sidewalks of Colon Street

Arce said this is a sign that the vendors will be cooperative in the regulation of the sidewalks, limiting each stall to two-by-three feet to free up space for pedestrians to walk on. 

“Makita ninyo no nga ang mga mamaligya, sila na mismo nisirado sa ilang mga stalls kay nagprocess na ta sa ila registration,” said Arce.

(You can see that the vendors closed down their stalls voluntarily as the city is now processing their registration.) 

A registered stall vendor must be a Cebu City voter, must have  a written consent from the nearest establishment the stall is located at, and must have been selling in the area before 2017. 

Read: PROBE team clears up Plaridel Street

Arce said the B. Rodriguez vendors have all the requirements and most of them will be able to go back provided they follow the rules of Probe like limiting space, avoiding the use of liquid gas for cooking, and not sharing the space with another vendor. 

There are at least 30 permanent vendors in B. Rodriguez waiting for their city hall registration and some have already been permitted to return.

As of now, 28 other stalls just outside the hospital gate are still pending review because they are new vendors who started selling after 2017.  Arce said Mayor Edgardo Labella will decide the fate of these 28 vendors. 

Read: Sidewalk vending: A cat-and-mouse game in Cebu City

Aside from B. Rodriguez, the sidewalk vendors along  Osmeña Boulevard from Colon Street to Plaza Independencia have also been suspended pending regulation. 

These clearing operations have been conducted by the city in accordance to the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte to the local government units to clear the streets within 60 days. 

Recently, only 100 vendors were left in Colon Street after the clearing operations and strict regulation of registered vendors. /bmjo