Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) sidewalk clearing operations chief Bobby Esquivel and Southern Police District director Prospero Noble Jr., who earlier expressed interest in the project, said they are now considering other options.
"Mahirap," Esquivel told The STAR. "To make it work, we have to clear the area of settlers, and that would mean demolishing a Muslim compound there."
He said they could face the wrath of residents, "some of whom are willing to die to keep demolition teams away."
The compound is home to some 4,000 Muslims and a concrete Islamic mosque. Most of the illegal vendors in Baclaran live in the area.
"Cooperation is very important and that seems to be impossible in this case," Esquivel added.
Noble said they would ask the vendors’ association to consider occupying empty stalls at the FUAGVMI Building and Berna Shopping Mall in front of Redemptorist Church.
"I didn’t know that the buildings were empty, which is why I thought the reclamation area was the last resort," said Noble, who assumed the post of SPD chief last month.
Owners of FUAGVMI and the mall have opened their stalls to sidewalk vendors for as low as P25 in daily rental fee.
Vendors, however, have refused to rent stalls, saying they would not be selling as much inside the malls.
Rico Antonio, a vendors’ association leader, said their patrons won’t bother going inside buildings to buy goods. "And if we don’t have people buying our goods, we won’t be able to pay the rent," he said.
Barangay Baclaran chairman Roland Cailles said there demolition operations had been conducted at the reclamation area during the time of Romeo Maganto.
"Pero nagsibalikan sila. At ngayon nga, nakapagtayo pa sila ng mosque," he said.
The MMDA, police, barangay officials and vendor leaders have agreed to set another meeting to discuss the issue. City hall, on the other hand, has not coordinated with them, according to Antonio.