Vendors agree to vacate the sidewalks after Sinulog festivities

CEBU, Philippines -  All illegal structures obstructing the sidewalks of Cebu City will be removed after the Sinulog celebration. This was agreed by the Cebu City Council, sidewalk vendors and the Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa sa Gugma during last week’s regular session of the city council.

GASA chairwoman Lucille Mercado assured that all vendors will heed the agreement.

“The vendors are well aware that vending is a privilege and not a right, so if the government will take it away from them then the vendors are left with no choice but to accept the reality,” Mercado said.

GASA was created in 2011 by virtue of an executive order to serve as a channel where the city government can address the vendors’ concerns.

Mercado said GASA also aims to monitor and regulate all the activities of street traders and business establishments.

GASA has at least 10,000 accredited traders and street vendors. Ambulant vendors, however, are not included in those regulated by GASA.

Only accredited vendors are allowed to sell in the city streets, but for humanitarian reasons, ambulant vendors will be allowed to sell until the end of the revelry.

“We cannot deprive the vendors of their daily bread by vending because they are not outcasts of the society. We cannot eliminate their way of livelihood and so the government should penetrate to help the vendors alleviate their living,” Mercado said.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo said that all traders must be located in one place in the city where they can easily be monitored.

Nothing has yet been said of where these vendors will be transferred to if they will be removed.

Councilor James Cuenco told GASA to come up with policies and guidelines to regulate the influx of traders in the city because, apparently, most traders nowadays are not from Cebu City.

Part of the regulation shall be the imposition of vending hours and mandating street traders to maintain cleanliness and orderliness in their respective areas.

Maria Pino, chairwoman of the Cebu City United Vendors Association affirmed with Mercado and said, “gisul-sul na namo sa among hunahuna nga gihulman ra namo anang lugara (the streets) para mi makapanginabuhi.”  (FREEMAN)