New Parañaque mayor pushes for harmony in Baclaran

Newly elected Parañaque City Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. yesterday said he would push for a harmonious relationship in Baclaran between vendors, pedestrians and mtorists. The area has become a battlefield for sidewalk vendors and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Bernabe, the city‘s vice mayor who won the mayoralty race last May 10, said he would devise ‘some kind of arrangement’ wherein vendors, pedestrians and motorists would all be able to utilize the Redemptorist Road.

"The vendors could occupy the sidewalk near the Redemptorist Church, while pedestrians could use the other side and motorists could use the roadway," he said.

During the term of Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez, the MMDA conducted several sidewalk clearing operations that resulted to deaths of MMDA personnel and vendors. Two MMDA detachment units were also burned by still unidentified suspects.

The MMDA campaigned to return the sidewalks to pedestrians while the city government said the traffic agency was interfering with the autonomy of the local government.

Bernabe said he understands the desire of the people to earn a living by selling wares along the street so he does not favor the return of the MMDA team.

He added, "All the big cities in the world allow it (vendors on the street). All we need is just to implement order."

He admitted that one sidewalk alone could not accommodate the legal and illegal vendors. "We cannot please everybody, maybe the vendors could be accommodated and they might even be allowed to occupy the sidestreets. We might even put up a night market," Bernabe explained.

Meanwhile, MMDA-Traffic Operations Center (TOC) Executive Director Angelito Vergel de Dios said: "We would leave it up to the local government units to say what they need and in what way we can be of help. We would always be ready to assist them in any way we can."— Evelyn Macairan