Muntinlupa vendors get selling space

The Muntinlupa City government has recently forged an agreement with a private developer to allot selling space to some 200 illegal vendors in its new terminal in Alabang.

In a statement, Bing Licuanan of AYESEL, the developer of the City Central Terminal, has agreed to accommodate the vendors through the efforts of Mayor Jaime Fresnedi.

Members of the Pinagbuklod na Maliliit na Manininda, an umbrella organization of vendors in different areas in the Alabang Interchange, will be the initial beneficiaries of the agreement, the statement added.

The proliferation of sidewalk vendors in the area is a perennial problem of the city government. Hundreds of vendors occupying the streets have been blamed for the notorious traffic jams on the interchange.

The statement also quoted Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) head Gary Llamas as saying, "the vendors will no longer fear extortionists."

According to the agreement, the vendors will pay the space rental fees directly to AYESEL.

The vendors are reportedly paying protection money, enabling them to occupy the interchange even with the city government’s supposedly tough stance against illegal vendors.

The Central terminal accommodates jeepneys and FX mega-taxis plying the Zapote and Santa Rosa-Balibago routes, assuring the vendors of a steady stream of customers.

With the new "legitimate" selling area at the terminal, Llamas urged the vendors to comply with the anti-side-walk vending ordinance. –Nikko Dizon