Quezon City reaches out to Commonwealth Avenue vendors

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City government is wasting no time reaching out to the city’s poor by starting a series of dialogues with hawkers and sidewalk vendors along Commonwealth Avenue, City Mayor Herbert Bautista announced yesterday.

“There is a need for the city government to implement a comprehensive, integrated and sustainable program that will address their concerns and instill discipline among the members of this particular sector,” said Bautista.

He said the consultations will begin initially in the Manggahan-Litex area, in preparation for new steps to address socio-economic problems in the area and nearby places.

This area on both sides of the Commonwealth Avenue along the stretch between the Sandiganbayan and Barangay Fairview is occupied predominantly by ambulant and sidewalk vendors, city hall officials said.

Bautista ordered the dialogues after issuing an executive order creating the QC Task Force Commonwealth (TFC).

The task force is entrusted to attend to problems and concerns arising from illegal structures and vending operations of people in the so-called underground economy.

“We will need all your cooperation to help the task force accomplish its mission,” said the mayor.

The problems that need immediate attention include traffic congestion, colorum tricycles and vehicles, illegal terminals, illegal markets, illegal vendors, illegal structures, obstruction of sidewalks, easements, waterways, among others.

Task force officials also said it was necessary to draw up and implement plans for new vending sites so as to provide livelihood to qualified vendors as well as locate and legalize terminals for public utility vehicles.

Secretary to the Mayor and Novaliches District Center officer-in-charge Tadeo Palma and TFC chief Manuel Buncio spearheaded efforts to encourage affected vendors to participate in the dialogues.

Palma and Buncio held the first meeting at the Litex Market, with Quezon City Police District director Benjardi Mantele, Department of Public Order and Safety chief Elmo San Diego, Payatas Operations Group head Jameel Jaymalin, Market Development and Administration Department head Donato Matias and other city officials in attendance.

Palma announced in the initial dialogue that the task force will strictly enforce the prohibition on the selling of fish and meat on the sidewalks and in portions of the streets. He also asked the affected vendors to relocate to the Litex Market.