City to evict vendors at Magellan's Cross

Vendors at the Magellan's Cross Park may have to start finding new venues to sell their goods after the city government finally makes true its word to evict them next week.

Jerry Marquez, urban poor consultant of the City Hall, yesterday said the Magellan's Cross Park will have to be cleared of vendors by Monday next week.

Marquez said this was supposed to be done immediately after the Sinulog celebration but the city government decided to implement the same after the traditional "Hubo" liturgical rite tomorrow.

Early this month, Mayor Tomas Osmeña verbally granted the vendors' request to remain in the park until after the Sinulog celebration. But Osmeña had emphasized no other leeway would be given.

While the city would want to give opportunities to small entrepreneurs, it also needs to balance this off with the needs of the rest of the community as a growing city, he said.

The vendors had sought reconsideration of the city's Parks and Playgrounds Commission resolution giving them until the second week of January to demolish their stalls or face demolition. The commission recommended for a "no vendor" policy in order to maintain the aesthetic beauty of the park.

The commission said that despite several meetings with the vendors regarding the maintenance of cleanliness and beauty of the park, the park still reportedly appears dirtier than before.

The vendors asked that they be allowed to remain in the park until after the Sinulog celebration so they can still sell the goods that they have reproduced purposely for the Sinulog.

Some of those that originally occupied the park said the cause of the problem is that group of vendors who do not belong to the 10 original vendors that were allowed to sell their goods at the park.

But Osmeña believes the problem is getting more complicated because if they would be given a relocation site, the vendors reportedly would not accept just any area. They would reportedly seek for a relocation site where they can best sell their goods.

"The relocation of the vendors is much more demanding than that of the urban poor," Osmeña said, adding that there is a "flawed policy in the markets" because of the "culture of permanence".

This means that whoever is selling goods at present would also want their children to inherit the business as well as the vending place. - Joeberth M. Ocao