One-side vending begins today

CEBU, Philippines – The city government will implement today the one-side vending scheme with the Squatters Prevention Encroachment and Elimination Division warning that it will not hesitate to remove stalls of vendors who will defy the new policy.

SPEED chief Noel Artes personally went around informing vendors about the start of implementation yesterday. SPEED personnel will prioritize implementation downtown.

"Kon dili g'yud sila mopatoo ikarga namo ang ilang mga baligya," Artes told The FREEMAN.

This time as well, sidewalk vendors would no longer be allowed to leave their pushcarts and stalls behind. Pushcarts and stalls found left in sidewalks at night will be confiscated, Artes said.

Yesterday, SPEED started clearing the sidewalk along Osmeña Boulevard. The courtesy booth of a department store across the Basilica del Santo Niño, which used to occupy a portion of a sidewalk, was not spared.

Mayor Michael Rama pushed for the new policy to clear sidewalks of obstacles, which has hampered the flow of pedestrian traffic. Under the new policy, vendors will no longer be allowed to occupy the gutter curve.   The city said earlier it will not force business establishments if they refuse to accommodate ambulant vendors right outside the stores.

Aside from decongesting sidewalks, the one-side vending scheme also aims to keep pedestrians from danger.

What has happened, traffic enforcers said, is that pedestrians are forced to walk on the street itself because sidewalks have become congested due to the presence of ambulant vendors, especially in the downtown area.

As of yesterday, several vendors continued to request more time for them to convince business establishments to allow them a space outside the stores. (THE FREEMAN)