Turning our sidewalks into bodegas!

At least Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) has "seen the light" and realized that legislated wages will not help our sagging economy, especially at this time when the E-Vat has just been implemented. Call her fickle-minded if you wish, but that's the advantage of our having a woman as President. Women do change their minds a lot of times and please don't ask me why.

Meanwhile, with the E-Vat already being implemented, we join the chorus of the labor sector in exhorting the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Board (RTWP) to study seriously the effects of the implementation of the E-Vat by looking at the cost of living in these times and grant the right wage increases. Yes, pretty soon, jeepney fares are going up by another peso and this does not include the possible increases in the prices of prime commodities.

I know for a fact that raising salaries would only create a "domino or ripple" effect in the prices of various products. But at this time, prices have gone up only because of the implementation of E-Vat. That should at least be something that the RTWP ought to seriously consider… so that their decision can help alleviate the plight of a great majority of our people.

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I agree that the count has gone to 102 unsolved murders in Cebu City, with no solution in sight but I don't buy the idea that we should be dubbed "Murder City" simply because, so far, only the so-called "Bad eggs" of society have fallen victims to this type of criminality. However, I do agree with the observations of most pundits, that too many criminal incidents are happening right under the noses of our police precincts, it has become embarrassing.

Last Sunday, robbers struck the Western Union Money Transfer Branch in Fuente Osmeña, which luckily had very little money for the robbers to grab. But what was disturbing was that, this heist was done right within a few hundred yards of the Fuente Police Station. Well, the latest "vigilante" victim, Antonio Medina was a mere 5 meters from the gate of the Mobile Patrol Group in Arellano Blvd.

This case sort of gives you two points to ponder on… that either these so-called "Vigilantes" do not respect the police by doing their nefarious jobs even in front of police stations or they may just be done by the police themselves! The problem is, no one has any proof of this! In fact, we've heard calls for Congress or the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate these killings but come on, they're asking too much! I don't have any confidence with these government agencies to conduct investigations on this problem.

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We did get a lot of positive comments on our issue on sidewalk vendors sprouting on sidewalks, which are specifically created for the use of pedestrians. I talked with Cebu City Attorney Rudy Golez and he cited the Philippine Highway Act of 1953, which clearly states that the road is "beyond the commerce of man" and since the sidewalk is part and parcel of a road, then so too should the sidewalk also be beyond the commerce of man. But we must show compassion to those who are lesser in life, a principle espoused no less than the late Pres. Ramon Magsaysay Sr. But we're caught in between that legal dictum which says, "Dura Lex, Sed Lex… the law may be harsh, but it is the law". No mayor in Cebu City has shown more compassion and even extreme tolerance with regards the sidewalk vendors than Mayor Tomas Osmeña. But these days, even the Mayor has reached the limit of his patience because the sidewalk vendors have not only made the streets of Cebu City dirty but most of them are no longer residents of Cebu City.

As for me, we've had a business establishment in Colon St. since my grandpa's days and when sidewalk vendors started to sprout in our sidewalks, we've only shown them compassion. But those were the days when sidewalk vendors were merely ambulant; meaning, they brought along their wares to be sold for that day. These days, the sidewalk vendors have turned our sidewalk into a huge bodega for keeping their wares, something that has gone beyond what the City of Cebu has tolerated. Calling Jerry Marquez to fix this problem.

Worse of all, many of these sidewalk vendors are mere "employees" of an enterprising businessman who hides behind the shadows while the sidewalk vendors pay this person their daily fare, selling stuff that their lord and master gives them everyday. Indeed, someone controls a lot of these sidewalk vendors, giving them stuff or financial aid for their own profit and gain. So we ask… are these people really helping the poor vendors or themselves?