‘Chibogan sa B. Rod’ project’s fate depends on DEPW survey — GASA head

The vendors, who participated in the “Chibogan sa B. Rod,” display the street food that they will sell a few days before the launching of the project on Nov. 5. | Photo courtesy of Cebu City PIO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The decision to continue to stop operations or to allow the “Chibogan sa B. Rod” project to open again will depend on the report of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) of the Cebu City government.

Maria Pino Buanghug, chairperson of Cebu City’s Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa (GASA), who has been tasked to organize the food vendors who are allowed to sell at the “Chibogan sa B. Rod,” said that they would need to submit the report from the DEPW to help Mayor Michael Rama to decide if the project would continue or not.

Chibogan sa B. Rod is supposed to be a new food strip along B. Rodriguez St. in Cebu City, which will be opened every night from 6 p.m until 2 a.m.

It was launched last Nov. 5 but the project was suspended three days later because some of the vendors refused to honor the agreement between them and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

The policy agreed upon was that the vendors would only sell from late afternoon to early morning.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wanted the B. Rodriguez side walk to be free of obstruction during the day, and to serve as a food strip at night through the “Chibogan sa B. Rod” project, where people could not only eat but also earn.

The project aims to serve as an alternative livelihood for sidewalk food vendors who will be displaced as the city, in line with its vision for a Singapore-like city, continues to implement its recovery of sidewalks and setbacks.

Buanghug, in an interview on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, said the mayor ordered the suspension of the program last week after several vendors in the area reportedly refused to stop selling during day time.

The city held a dialogue with the concerned vendors at the city hall last week.

“Unya, naa man jud mo insist, kay ang lugar kuno nga ilang gitindahan, ilang private na and ilang lugar,” she said.

(And, there are those who would insist [to sell there during the day time] claiming the area where they sell their food items was theirs and that it is a private lot.)

“That is why niduol ta sa DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways). Ang DPWH, mipagawas sad sila sa ilang result sa ilang survey, nga wa man nigamit sa sidewalk,” she said.

(That is why we turned to the DPWH (Department of Publich Works and Highways). The DPWH said in their survey said that the vendors did not use the sidewalk.)

To further verify the survey result of the DPWH, she said the city also tasked the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to conduct its own survey of the area.

“Ang problema na lang is kani niang report na lang g’yod sa DEPW. Among tan-awn kung magkaabot ba sa report sa DPWH aron nga mabuhatan namo og report ngadto kang Mayor Mike, kung unsa ang results sa ilang study,” she added.

(The problem is this report of the DEPW. We’ll see if the DPWH and their report will be the same so that we can make a report to Mayor Mike on the results of the study.)

She said majority of the original vendors in the area participated in the Chibogan sa B. Rod program, except for some three or four stalls.

She also said that the vendors from Sambag 2 and neighboring barangays were also a priority to be included in the project.

Buanghog said some 60 vendors had joined the program during its first days of operation.

“Sa three days, nakita nako nga promising jud kaayo. Makaginansya jud ang tawo. Makakaon jud. Optimistic ko nga makapadayon jud,” she said.

(In the three days, we saw that the project was really promising. The vendors can really make a profit. We can eat. I am optimistic that this project will continue.)

“Ang ako na lang ani is mahan-ay ni namo tanan unya mahatag to ang report sa DEPW…Nasakitan sad ko kay nakapagawas na sad baya og puhonan,” she said.

(What we are hoping to accomplish is to put things in order then the report of the DEPW will be submitted…I am also hurt by this suspension because I too have already put out some capital.)

She, however, said that they did not have an idea yet as to when the DEPW report would be submitted to them.

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