Jewelry vendors to beautify stalls

CEBU, Philippines - To make their vending areas more attractive to their customers, the 42 vendors of fashion jewelry who are occupying the city-owned building at the north reclamation area have decided to spend for the construction of their stalls and will only ask for reimbursement of their expenses through tax credit.

Market Administrator Raquel Arce said members of the Market Authority chaired by City Administrator Jose Mari Poblete welcomed the efforts of the fashion accessory vendors but said there should be a memorandum of agreement for that purpose.

The city-owned building where these fashion jewelry vendors are staying is situated just near the offices of the Cebu City slaughterhouse and Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries at the North Reclamation Area.

Arce said there will be several stalls to be constructed inside the city-owned building where each stall is to be occupied by four vendors.

Based on the perspective prepared by the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), each stall will look like a little house under the big building located at Block 27.

“Kon imong tan-awon pagka human na sa project mora-mora ni og gagmay’ng mga balay nga anaa sulod sa dakung balay,” Arce said.

Each of the vendors had already contributed close to P14,000 for the construction of their stalls, excluding the budget for the labor, which is about 30 per cent of the cost of materials.

In exchange, the concerned vendors will not be made to pay their rentals and other financial obligations to the city until after the amount that they spent would be reimbursed.

 On the other hand, Arce said she is looking into reports that some of those residents whose houses beside the Mahiga Creek were demolished by the city, have put up their stalls along the road and are now using their structures as homes.

“Ako’y gitugyanan ni Mayor Rama nga aksyonan kadtong wala motuman sa gikasabotan. Nangayo na ko og lista gikan sa DWUP (Division for the Welfare of Urban Poor) kon kinsa ang gitugutan pagbutang og tindahan,” Arce said.  (FREEMAN)