Joy Belmonte vows support for street vendors

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has vowed to intensify efforts to support vendors displaced by road clearing operations conducted in the city in the past weeks.

The mayor over the weekend met with vendors in Barangay Culiat to encourage them to register with the city government so they can avail themselves of affordable vending sites that will be established as part of her administration’s “Bayanihan sa Lansangan” campaign.

“Part of our campaign is to ensure that the livelihood of our vendors are protected and that we bring back dignity to their trade by legalizing their status,” she said in Filipino.

“This is part of our promise to focus on the welfare and livelihood of the vendors affected by our road clearing operations,” she added.

Belmonte earlier said that only registered hawkers may avail of the stalls that will be provided by the city government to those affected by the clearing operations.

“If they register with the city, they will not only receive IDs and uniforms,” she said. “They will also benefit from the affordable or even free stalls that the local government will provide.”

The mayor said the registration of the affected vendors will provide the city government with the data needed to appropriately address their plight.

Belmonte said the registration would protect the vendors from unauthorized and illegal collections by operators and organizers. 

Last month, she directed the city legal office to prepare charges against the operator of an allegedly illegal private market operating under the Luzon underpass.