DOTr: MRT-3 walkway vendors pay P90K rent

MANILA, Philippines — Vendors occupying footbridges and walkways at the Taft Avenue station of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) are paying up to P90,000 in rental fees, according to the Department of Transportation.

The DOTr ordered yesterday the removal of vendors in the area following Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon’s surprise inspection.

A shopping mall connects MRT-3 to the Light Rail Transit Line 1’s EDSA station.

“I’ve summoned the mall’s owner to find out what happened. It’s possible that they had an agreement with the government a long time ago,” Dizon told dzBB yesterday.

Dizon said he would request the Philippine Coast Guard to deploy “heavily armed” personnel in the area to prevent vendors from returning.

“I understand them and I feel pity because they just need to earn a living, but they cannot be here,” he told reporters.

Some vendors are aware that they cannot put up stalls in the area.

“We know we’re prohibited here, but we plead for some time so we can have something to eat,” vendor Sultan Nagapatamo said.

Dizon said vendors are prohibited from placing their stalls in public and state-owned spaces such as footbridges.

An open letter from former state auditor Heidi Mendoza detailing her recent train experience prompted Dizon to inspect the area with Gabriel Go, head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Special Operations Group Strike Force.