ILOILO City – The city government is not shooing away vendors operating in front of the Iloilo provincial capitol on Bonifacio Drive from late afternoon until late at night.
However, according to Mayor Jerry Treñas, they must not obstruct the traffic and must leave ample space on the sidewalk for people to pass.
Vendors started flocking the capitol sidewalk and portion of Bonifacio Drive on Dec. 2 after the provincial government switched on its Christmas lights and unveiled the newly redeveloped capitol grounds.
They were mostly food vendors operating rolling stores – trisikads modified into mobile kiosks.
“Ang aton lang nga i-regulate lang nga indi man mabudlay sa mga tawo nga nagalakat kag sa mga salakyan,” said Treñas yesterday.
But while the city government is giving a little leeway to the capitol vendors, it is firm not to allow the return of the rest of the vendors it had removed from the sidewalks since July.
“Kinanghanglan kabalo man ta mag-give and take,” he said.
Treñas tasked the Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO) to ensure that the operation of vendors in front of the capitol is regulated.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. earlier denied giving his blessing to the mobile food kiosks to occupy the sidewalk and a portion of the street in front of the provincial capitol.
The sidewalk and street surrounding the capitol are not jurisdictions of the provincial government, he stressed.
The city government’s road-clearing operation since July has resulted to the relocation of 245 downtown sidewalk vendors to the vacant lot owned by the Cacho family along the downtown street of JM Basa.
But there are an estimated 1,500 sidewalk vendors across the city, according to Niel Dichupa, president of the city’s sidewalk vendor.
Last month, 13 vendors were arrested for returning to sidewalks. Personnel of the PSTMO confiscated their tables and chairs. Their merchandize, however, were spared.
“We left them with a warning. If they return to the sidewalks again we will seize everything they have,” said PSTMO chief Jeck Conlu.
The vendors were apprehended on the sidewalks of Ledesma, JM Basa, Rizal, and Jalandoni streets.
For his part, Director Ariel Iglesia of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 6 reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for local chief executives to reclaim public roads and sidewalks being used for private ends.
“All public roads and public spaces are for public use, they are beyond the commerce of man,” said Iglesia./PN
