GASA board to have more members

CEBU, Philippines —  The Cebu City Council has approved an ordinance amending City Ordinance No. 2386 which instituted the Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa (GASA) sa Gugma Board of the city.

Authored by Councilor Renato Osmeña, Jr., Section 4 of CO 2386 is amended to add as members of the board one representative each from the Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Osmeña is the chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Markets.

The GASA sa Gugma Board comprises of the City Mayor or his designated representative as chairperson; executive director appointed by the mayor; and Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team head or his/her authorized representative, chairman of the City Council’s Committee on Markets, Office of the City Markets head; Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management head; Cebu City Health Department head, and Cebu City Anti-Mendicancy Office head as members.

Other members include two representatives from the Informal Traders Federation Association to be endorsed by the federation and approved by the mayor; representative from the City Legal Office; Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president or his/her designated representative; representative from the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The amendatory ordinance states that the city considers the street vendors as an integral part of its economy, contributing to vibrant retail markets and providing an array of affordable, accessible goods and services to urban consumers.

However, it is equally important to adhere to the regulatory rules in terms of imposing safety and health protocols, sanitation codes,

and pertinent environmental laws both in the local and national streets or roads.

Under the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code (Section 16, RA7160), the city can regulate the business of peddling and street vending in order to mitigate road encroachments and congestion to promote the safety of the peddlers, consumers, and the riding public.

The DILG issued Memorandum Circular 2022-085, dated June 20, 2022, directing local government units to clear public roads of

obstructions, and the city has made the guidelines to abide by the said directive and allow ambulant vendors to return to the streets with strict compliance to the city's public health regulations.

“In order to address the nagging concerns of this marginalized sector, and in view of our thrust to attain maximum effectiveness in laying out our plan of actions for the improvement of market operations and administration, it behooves us to capitalize

on the expertise of some sectors or agencies whose principal functions are akin to the

mandate of GASA,” read the ordinance.

The measure states that the maintenance of peace and order, the abatement of nuisance, the getting rid of obstructions and encroachments along public roads must also be on the bucket list of GASA.

“The inclusion of the Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as members of GASA is but fitting and proper,” it further read. – JMD (FREEMAN)