City asked to amend ordinance banning vendors from sidewalks

CEBU, Philippines – A group of ambulant vendors in Cebu City is asking the City Council to allow them to sell their goods in the city's sidewalks.

In a letter dated November 20, 2015, the United Small Vendors of Cebu City (USVCC) asked that the Council initiate a stakeholders' meeting in the hopes of amending an existing ordinance that disallows vending in sidewalks.

"Isip resulta sa maong stakeholders' meeting, mahimo ang lakang sa pag-review, pag-amend o paghimo sa ordinansa nga mopabor sa Syudad sa Sugbo ug kanamong mga gagmay ug kabus nga manindahay," the letter reads.

The members of the group are selling their goods temporarily along Natalio Bacalso Avenue (outside Elizabeth Mall and Cebu South Bus Terminal), Leon Kilat Street, and Sanciangko Street.

City Ordinance 1186, approved three decades ago during the administration of mayor Ronald Duterte, repealed City Ordinance 1017, which allowed and regulated sidewalk and ambulant vending in some areas of the city.

C.O. 1186 says street vending resulted in congestion and clogging of streets that also affected the safety, health, and peace and order in the city.

With Mayor Michael Rama's "Zero Vendors Policy" at the vicinity of E-Mall, the City Hall's Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (PROBE) has been confiscating merchandise of illegitimate sidewalk vendors.

"…kami nasagmuyo nunot sa nagsunod-sunod nga pagpangsakmit sa among paninda binuhatan sa PROBE niadto pang Nobyembre 2014... Gikan niadto, kami nagpabilin hangtod karon sa katuyoan nga makab-ot namo ang among tinguha nga matugotan sa pagpaninda sa ngalan sa among katungod sa panginabuhian," the letter of the vendors reads further.

The group previously accused the clearing team of maltreatment but these claims were later denied by a PROBE official.

PROBE assistant head Wendell Cenas stressed that they were simply enforcing the city's policy prohibiting ambulant vendors from operating in sidewalks it poses risks to pedestrians who would instead walk on the road because the sidewalks have become congested.

This time around, however, the group expressed willingness to collaborate with the city government and cooperate with its programs and projects.

"Among gipanumpaan nga kami mobarug kuyog ang lokal nga kagamhanan sa Syudad sa Sugbo para sa kalambuan sa syudad nga malangkubon sa interes sa kabus nga katawhan nga taga-dakbayan sa Sugbo," their letter reads further.

Meanwhile, the group sent another letter to Councilor Alvin Dizon, the vice-chair of the Council's Committee on Cooperative and Livelihood.

They asked the councilor to investigate their complaint against Jerry Marquez, the head of the City Hall's Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa, who visited N. Bacalso Avenue on November 18 and 19 and expressed that some of their members will be replaced with 25 Muslim traders.

They quoted Marquez as saying, "Gipatawag ta 'mo di gyud mo moduol. Kahilas gud ninyo, kaming naa nagtrabaho sa gobyerno ang paduolon ninyo?... Han-ayon ni diri kay para naa'y Muslim nga masud dinhi."

"We are fully aware that we are temporarily situated in the area to sell our goods impending the Stakeholders' Meeting in line with our concern of our livelihood nevertheless we are puzzled on what possible legal grounds or authority did he based his claims," the letter reads.

The two letters have been referred to the Council's Committee on Markets. — May B. Miasco/JMO (FREEMAN)