Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is allowing vendors occupying that portion of the sidewalk near the regional offices of the Department of Health on Osmeña Boulevard to stay. He has to. He has no choice.
If Rama causes the eviction of these vendors, then he is obliged to evict all the other vendors occupying all other sidewalks in the city. And the mayor knows the sheer impossibility of doing that.
Even if he wanted to, there is no way he can assemble the manpower and resources needed to deal with the sheer volume of vendors in the city without having to make sacrifices elsewhere, the consequences of which can be more telling than if he just let the vendors be.
But Rama is not exactly walking away from the situation a complete loser. We like the way he has stuck a deal with this particular set of vendors to regulate the time of their presence on the sidewalk, and to be responsible for the order and cleanliness of their premises.
If Rama can strike the same deal with all the other vendors occupying almost every inch of sidewalk in the city, if that is as good as it gets, then better that than have these vendors rule the sidewalks like their own private republics.
At least the rest of the population can regain part of the sense and purpose of sidewalks while allowing the vendors their only means of livelihood. All the parties should be happy with the deal, including Rama who may now count this sector in for his reelection bid in 2013.
Still it is to the best interest of everyone for Rama to make it clear that, if he wants, he can truly make the lives of vendors miserable. The vendors may have the numbers, but Rama has the lawful authority.
So, for as long as the parties can recognize each other's strengths, the city can enjoy the detente of the Cold War without the war, or even the coldness. Indeed, if Rama can engage the vendors with even more warmth, perhaps even more beneficial concessions can be wrangled out.