BACOLOD City – After the holiday season ended, sidewalks and downtown roads in this city will be totally free of vendors, according to the Bacolod City Police Office.
BCPO chief Colonel Henry Biñas said starting this week, police officers will launch a stricter crackdown against illegal vendors plying the streets.
Biñas said they were lenient to sidewalks vendors during Christmas and New Year as they were given leeway in plying their trade in the downtown area.
But this time, according to Biñas, police officers together with personnel of the City Enforcement Team of the City Legal Office (CLO), will start apprehending those who will violate the road clearing directive.
“We will first ask vendors to vacant the city streets. Should they refuse to follow our order, our next move would either issue them a citation ticket or arrest them,” said Biñas.
The city top cop however clarified that police are not allowed to confiscate the items of erring vendors.
“We will need the cooperation of the city legal in order to carry the items off the sidewalks,” Biñas said.
City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan said they will only seize the goods for repeat offenders and the confiscated goods will then be donated to charitable institutions operating in the city.
Bayatan also denied the allegations that CLO personnel were taking home the seized goods as they are strictly monitoring the operation against erring vendros.
However, Bayatan said should such incident occurs, he advised the vendors to file a complaint in his office and he will have it investigated and place those involved for disciplinary action.
“But if they will continue to be stubborn, then we will [fully] enforce the law.”
Mayor Evelio Leonardia, for his part, said the city government was lenient with sidewalk vendors during the holiday season, citing that in neighboring Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry Treñas did not adopt the same leniency to street vendors.
“I hope vendors in the city will take note of this, we really gave them room,” he added./PN
