THIRTY vendors were told to voluntarily demolish their stalls and vacate their vending area on the sidewalks of B. Rodriguez Avenue in Cebu City Friday morning.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he has been receiving text messages from city residents who complained about vendors who are obstructing the sidewalk near the Don Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical in the area especially at night.
He was told that some of the vendors even place tents to occupy one lane of the road, blocking commuters. Osmeña said no vendors will be ordered to leave an area where they do business unless they inconvenience the public.
Personnel of Cebu City’s Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) told the vendors on Friday morning to voluntarily demolish their stalls or else they will dismantle it for them. The vendors obliged.
“We understand that (vending) is their livelihood. Possibly, they turn the area into a night market and possibly they took one lane of the road. The people of Cebu City are (also) using the road and I received a text (telling me) mayor, I cannot use the sidewalk(anymore). It’s important to accommodate these vendors but not at the expense of the public,” Osmena said during his noontime press conference.
Meanwhile, Osmeña said he would no longer allow the closure of the downtown road and convert these into night markets. Instead, the mayor said he wanted the vendors to request him if they want to continue with it.
Osmeña said he wanted night market vendors to also pay monthly dues to the city just like the other market vendors./UP Cebu Intern Morexette Marie Erram