City to remove stalls of Fort, Plaza vendors

Stalls at the vicinity of Plaza Independencia and Fort San Pedro will face demolition soon after the city government took over management and operation of the Fort and Plaza recently.

The city plans to clear the area of obstructions, including vendors’ stalls to “maintain the elegance and preserve these heritage sites,” Vice Mayor Michael Rama revealed yesterday.

Also yesterday, Mayor Tomas Osmeña issued an executive order for the creation of an interim management or advisory body to formulate policies in the operation of Fort San Pedro and Plaza Independencia.

Executive Order No. 08-87 also designates Rama to be the interim overall overseer of the two historical sites.

As the interim overseer, Rama said he is tasked to see to it that the management of the Fort and Plaza would “move and become functional.”

But even before Osmeña issued the executive order, Rama said they have already created an interim body headed by former city councilor Manuel Legaspi.

Legaspi is also a member of the city’s Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission chaired by Rama.

Rama said that the interim management is composed of personalities from different commissions like the CHAC, Cebu City Tourism Commission, Parks and Playgrounds Commission and the Sinulog Foundation, Inc.

He added that they are now planning on what to do next to improve Fort San Pedro and Plaza Independencia to enhance their aesthetic value and preserve them. Fort San Pedro, which is one of the tourist attractions in the city, was built in 1565 and is the oldest fort in the country today.

“One of the things we have to confront seriously if we want the elegance and beauty of the place to be maintained is to make it free from obstruction,” Rama said, specifically citing vendors’ stalls near the Waterfront Police station.  He said that the city does not necessarily need to demolish these stalls because their owners knew that “they are not supposed to be there.”   — Wenna A. Berondo/MEEV