A screenshot from the video of the incident courtesy of Cebu City PROBE Team.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Racquel Arce, the head of the Prevention Restoration, Order, Beautification, and Enhancement (PROBE) Team, defended the actions of her personnel who were caught in a video footage apprehending an ambulant fruit vendor outside the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT).
On Monday, September 21, 2020, a video went viral on social media after it showed members of the PROBE team apprehending a fruit vendor at the sidewalk outside the bus terminal.
Read: Sidewalk vending: A cat-and-mouse game in Cebu City
While some see it as a bit violent, Arce explained that that the vendor has actually been apprehended two times prior to the incident.
PROBE released on Tuesday, September 22, its own video showing their side of the commotion.
Arce said the seemingly violent apprehension in the video, including the apples being thrown to the street, were not done by the members of the PROBE Team, but the vendor who resisted to be removed from the area and refused to give up her cart.
“Wala to giyabo, wala to mayabo sa atong tawo. Intentional to niyang gibuhat to gain sympathy from the public,” said Arce.
(Our men didn’t spill the fruits. She did that intentionally to gain sympathy from the public.)
The city government has not allowed the return of the street vendors while the city remains under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) due to the continuous threat of the coronavirus disease.
Last August 2020, the city government provided 25 kilos rice and food assistance to the registered vendors in the city to help them amid the pandemic.
However, the vendor in the video allegedly continued to violate the ban and has been apprehended for the third time already.
It was only on the third time that the vendor violently resisted the apprehension and “caused a scene” in the area.
“Lahi ang situation run. We are in a pandemic. Tanang ambulant vendors gibawalan karong panahona. Ang atoa lang pud pagsabot ba kay kitang tanan nag antos,” said Arce.
(The situation is different now. We are in a pandemic. All ambulant vendors are prohibited to sell during this time.We just seek a little understanding because all of us our suffering.)
The vendor, identified as Soledad Cordova, said in television reports that there was a tug of war between her and the PROBE team personnel that resulted to the apples falling to the ground.
She explained that the pandemic has made it difficult for her family to survive, which is why she sells goods outside just to earn a living.
It is not clear if the vendor will be filing charges of harassment against the PROBE team or not.
As for PROBE, they are prepared for a legal battle should a case be filed against them.
/bmjo