The 2nd floor of one of the buildings at Bankerohan Public Market, where displaced sidewalk vendors will be transferred. MindaNews photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 03 June) – Vendors who would reoccupy the sidewalks in the vicinity of the Bankerohan Public Market here will be immediately apprehended, their merchandise confiscated, an official from the city’s Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) warned on Monday.
“Dili pwede, kay wala’y agi-an ang mga pedestrians and besides… may og mosugot ang ubang establishment nga [sidewalk vendors] ila jud nang pwestuhan sa atbang nila (We cannot allow sidewalk vendors to go back because they will hinder the pedestrian way. Besides, we are not sure if the establishments will even allow them back, as they would be barricading their entry and exit points),” ASU head Paul Bermejo told reporters.
The vendors, who used to encroach the sidewalks near the market, such as in Marfori Street, Datu Bago Street, and Posadas Street, were being transferred to the main public market since June 1.
Non-compliant vendors will be ticketed and have their goods confiscated.
The City Economic Enterprises (CEE) here has identified 406 vacant stalls within the Bankerohan Public Market premises. They will also lease the second floor of the public market for displaced vendors, which will include 76 vacant spaces.
“These sidewalk vendors have been consuming roughly one lane of the road, that’s why they were removed in the first place,” he explained.
Aside from the sidewalk vendors, some people would park their vehicles in front of them to buy, making the street even narrower, Bermejo added.
Bermejo said they might clear or ticket those parked motorcycles or vehicles that carry enormous volume of products, as their owners might potentially sell them later at the sidewalks.
He noted that even after June 1, the deadline for sidewalk vendors to vacate their areas, there were still some who sell their products beside the road.
Bermejo said they will clear what needs to be cleared, since the sidewalk vendors have been warned a long time ago to vacate the place.
The clearing operation was implemented in line with the traffic scheme initiated by the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO), particularly the re-routing of vehicles, placement of signages, and painting of roads such as public pay parking and loading and unloading bays.
A joint team, composed of the ASU, CTTMO, and CEE, has been leading the clearing of sidewalk vendors in the vicinity of the Bankerohan Public Market. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
