AROUND 400 sidewalk vendors at the downtown area in Bacolod City will
voluntarily remove their stalls Wednesday, August 28, in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to rid public streets of obstructions to facilitate the orderly use of thoroughfares.
Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda, cluster head on markets, said Tuesday, August 27, the affected vendors will be transferred inside the Bacolod Vendor's Plaza near the Manokan Country.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia held a meeting Tuesday with the vendors at the Bacolod Government Center, along with the City Legal Office Enforcement Unit and the Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO).
Pineda said the affected vendors are from areas along Araneta, Gonzaga, Gatuslao, Luzuriaga, San Juan, and Bonifacio streets.
"Some of them also aired their concerns, but this is a national directive and they need to voluntarily remove their stalls from August 28 to 30," he said.
The vendors were also required to submit their requirements so that they will be included in the final lists to avail the space inside the Vendor's Plaza.
Pineda said the City Government also allotted a budget for the improvement of Vendor's Plaza to accommodate all the affected vendors.
"We will remove all the illegal structures at the downtown area since we already transferred the illegal structures in the areas of Burgos and Libertad Public Markets as well as in Ballesteros Street," he said.
The demolition of illegal structures is in pursuant to Memorandum Circular 2019-121 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), directing local government officials to implement the clearing of roads.
The DILG memo stated that within 60 calendar days, significant results must be achieved, documented, and reported together with the efforts of the local government units to sustain the same.
Pineda said BTAO is also planning to implement a traffic rerouting of public utility jeepney plying Punta Taytay, Tangub, Singcang-Airport, and Magsungay along Vendor's Plaza.
He said last week, hundreds of stalls from Burgos Public Market and Libertad Public Market, as well as Ballesteros Street in Central Public Market were also demolished by the enforcement team and were transferred inside the public markets.