THE CITY Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) has called upon all ambulant vendors to avoid displaying their goods in the vicinity of the Agdao Public Market, which is currently undergoing renovations.
In an interview with the media on Monday, ASU head Paul Bermejo said that 78 individuals from the Agdao Ambulant Vendors were told to leave the spaces they illegally occupied for getting in the way of the construction.
The legitimate vendors of the public Market also expressed concerns about the growing number of ambulant vendors in Agdao.
Registered stall owners worry that unregistered vendors will not leave once the renovated public market resumes normal operations.
“Pag i-open na na siya, kadtong mga legit na mga stall owners sa sulod sa market mamalik na man to sila. Tapos, dili man pwede na naa sila sa gawas kay sigurado magreklamo man pud na sila (Once this opens, the legitimate stall owners in the market will start selling again. Ambulant vendors will not be allowed to sell outside because complaints will be filed),” Bermejo said.
The ASU regularly conducts clearing operations in the area, but ambulant vendors return once personnel from ASU leave.
“Amo na ‘sab silang pasyalan didto unya amo na ‘sab silang ingnan na dili mo dinha kay naay gareklamo pero mao lagi na mubalik lang gihapon pag wala na mi (We also go there and tell them to leave because people are complaining but they always return once we leave),” Bermejo said.
The group of ambulant vendors had asked to be relocated to another area, particularly along the creek in Dacudao.
Beremjo said Dacudao, as a main city road, is not ideal.
The Tiyangge sa Katawhan Management Team is looking for alternative spaces for displaced vendors to sell their products.
The ASU still allows vendors to occupy spaces on selected sidewalks as long as they follow the 1/3 and 2/3 rule (a third of the sidewalk space occupied by a vendor, two-thirds for pedestrians). However, ambulant vendors will no longer be allowed to occupy sidewalks and roads that are newly constructed.
“Dili mi magpa-one third/two-thirds. Naay areas na kanang mga bago nga dili pwede na i-one-third/two-thirds. Kadto lang mga daan na areas na naa na sila daan parehas aning San Pedro, Uyanguren, Ilustre, ug uban pa (We will no longer implement the ‘one-third/two-thirds rule’ (There are new areas where the rule will not be allowed. They have to stay in the old areas where they already established a presence like in SanUyanguren, Ilustre, and others),” Bermejo said.
“Kanang mga bag-o gyud na gihimo na sidewalk ug kalsada, as much as possible, dili na nato padiskartehan sa ila kay dili man pud na gihimo para sa ila, para man na sa mga mangagi sa sidewalk, para sa publiko (Those newly built sidewalks and roads, as much as possible, we will not let ambulant vendors occupy them because they are made for the pesdetrians, for the public),” he added.
