CEBU, Philippines - The City Traffic Operations Management board has requested the Squatters Prevention Encroachment Elimination Division (SPEED) to clear the sidewalks along V. Rama Avenue from corner B. Rodriguez Street all the way up to the Guadalupe Church.
CITOM chairman Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem said the request was based on the strong recommendation of Guadalupe Barangay Captain Eugenio Faelnar, president of the Association of Barangay Councils.
Jakosalem said Faelnar wanted to clear the sidewalks of V. Rama Avenue because the stalls occupied by the vendors are already blocking the pedestrian passage.
Because of the stalls, pedestrians are forced to compete with the vehicles on the road causing traffic problems in the barangay.
SPEED chief Noel Artes said the CITOM’s request would mean that hundreds of vendors presently occupying within the sidewalks of the three-kilometer stretch of V. Rama Avenue will be displaced.
Artes admitted that the CITOM request is not an easy job for him, although, he assured that he will try his best to work for it despite that he only have a limited number of personnel.
The FREEMAN learned that SPEED only has about 30 personnel and some of them are assigned to control the sidewalk vendors in the downtown.
Jakosalem said he and Mayor Michael Rama have agreed that the CITOM Board will identify which areas to be prioritized by SPEED.
During his stint in the City Council, Jakosalem strongly recommended the purchase of two trucks for the use of SPEED and the documents for such transactions is now being prepared by the City Hall.
“Gamiton ang maong mga truck sa SPEED aron duna dayon sila’y kakargahan kon may himoon sila nga clearing operation,” Jakosalem said. (FREEMAN NEWS)