Manila to ban provincial traders found littering

MANILA, Philippines - Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim warned vegetable, fruit and poultry traders from the province that they will no longer be allowed to sell their wares in the city if they leave trash behind.

Lim issued the order after noting the piles of trash left by vendors in Divisoria and Carriedo as he led police and barangay officials in a cleanup drive Saturday morning.

Lim told the city’s policemen to strictly implement his order.

According to Meisic police station chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut, who has jurisdiction over the Divisoria area, most of the garbage collected during the drive were coconut husks, discarded vegetables and fruit peelings left by vendors.

Lim told vendors and traders to put all their trash in a sack and bring them back to their places of origin.

“If they cannot do it, they can bring their trash to Pier 18 in North Harbor where a barge is docked to collect garbage for disposal to designated dump sites,” Yabut said.

He also said that starting today all vendors in Divisoria are only allowed to sell their wares one meter away from the sidewalk. Yabut said vendors cannot occupy the fronts of business establishments.

Yabut said the new scheme will hopefully declog the streets. – Nestor Etolle