BACOLOD City – The city government has yet to decide on the situation of the 50 kiosks doing business on the sidewalk along the Alijis road in Barangay Alijis.
Village chief Deogracias Dela Vega disclosed in the Isugid kay Mayor radio program that he allowed the vendors to set up their kiosks along the sidewalk because there is no public market in the barangay.
Through the same program, a motorist asked Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez if the city would allow this. The complainant also alleged that it is causing traffic problems in the area.
It is learned that construction has just finished for the four-lane Alijis road, but the stretch bottlenecks to a two-lane bridge connecting the village to Barangay Taculing
Dela Vega denied that the structures obstruct the road, citing that where the vendors are situated could be currently considered a “dead road.”
He explained that the barangay has established the area as a satellite market where all vendors doing business anywhere along the highway of the barangay are transferred to and continue their livelihood.
Councilor Celia Flor, chair of the city council’s committee on markets, said Barangay Alijis has already requested an extension allowing vendors to continue their business in the area.
The response to the request is still pending as of this writing.
Last year, the city council granted the request to hold a trade fair in the area from December 5 to 30, 2023.
On his part, Benitez said the city has no action yet pending the decision of the council.
The vendors’ situation in the meantime is held in abeyance, the mayor said.
Benitez added that the city will sit down with the barangay to come up with a more permanent solution, such as looking for an area where a permanent market for the barangay could be established.
Among the proposed sites is one near where the new South Terminal in Barangay Alijis is situated./PN
