Under proposed City Ordinance No. 2002-2007, which is set for third and final reading by the City Council, all mobile canteens in the CBD would be illegal unless authorized by the city government.
According to Councilors Levi Siaron, Rico Puno and Ric Javier, co-authors of the ordinance, the proliferation of the mobile canteens poses a serious threat to the health and safety of the city’s residents.
Mobile canteens refer to street vendors who use vehicles such as jeeps, vans and jeepneys to sell food along the street or in open lots.
"Due to the deterioration of the city streets and thoroughfares and the unsanitary and unregulated business practices of mobile canteens, there is an urgent need to address the said deterioration and rising health and sanitary safety problems threatening the inhabitants of the city," according to the proposed measure.
In place of the outlawed mobile canteens, the city government has decided on the use of food trailers to be provided by an exclusive contractor authorized by the city so as to provide uniformity.
Only cooked food would be allowed in the trailers and cooking would be limited.
Only snack items such as banana cue, camote cue, turon, fish balls and squidballs shall be allowed to be cooked in the trailer.
Pre-cooked food including rice and viands are allowed to be reheated.
The ordinance will limit the areas where the trailers may be set up to street parking slots designated by the Department of Public Safety.
In addition to this, the operating hours of the trailers shall be limited to 6:30 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. However, longer operating hours would be allowed outside of the CBD.
The City Government will also outlaw the common practice of mobile canteen owners of treating their business as a second home. Bringing of pets will be banned, as well as videoke machines and the loud playing of radios. — Marvin Sy