A CEBU City official sees the need to establish the Cebu City Vendors Welfare Council (CCVWC) after around 700 vendors were affected by President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to free all public roads and passageways of obstructions.
In City Councilor Jerry Guardo’s proposed ordinance entitled “Cebu City Vendors Welfare Ordinance,” ambulant vendors, peddlers, street vendors and market vendors without stalls operating in the city will have to register to the CCVWC.
CCVWC will formulate policies and programs for the welfare of the vendors and peddlers, recommend measures to enhance the participation of vendors in local socio-economic developments, ensure that the vendors are organized and conduct surveys for vacant areas as possible areas for vending.
Malls and main thoroughfares should be free of vendors within a radius of 500 meters.
Vendors have to comply with requirements such as securing a barangay clearance, a barangay certificate attesting to their at least six-month residency, an accomplished registration indicating where the vendor intends to vend and endorsement from a vendor association accredited by the City Council.
Section 7 of the draft ordinance states that “all street vendors, ambulant vendors or peddlers, and market vendors without stalls shall register with the City Government, subject to the payment of reasonable charges, where they are vending or intend to vend.”
The Office of the City Market shall provide a simplified procedure in registering businesses and other commercial activities within the City as stated in the ordinance.
A business permit should also be issued to qualified vendors upon compliance with requirements and payment of corresponding fees.
The business permit, which will indicate the identity of the vendor, the address, assigned workplace and time vending, will be renewable every year.
The business permit should be placed in the vendor’s workplace where consumers can see it.
Qualified vendors should observe proper waste segregation of their garbage, ensure unobstructed flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic, provide calibrated weighing scales, comply with price control and price tag laws and refrain from selling illegal products that violate the intellectual property right and laws, among others.
Penalties such as suspension of the business permit for a period not exceeding one month, a payment of P1,000 for the first offense and cancellation of the business permit and revocation of the authority to occupy and vend in the identified workplaces await vendors who fail to comply with the provisions of the ordinance.
Vendors who remain unregistered upon the effectivity of the ordinance shall be removed from their areas and their goods will be confiscated.
On July 22, 2019, Duterte directed all local chief executive to clear all public roads from obstructions during his State of the Nation Address.
On July 29, the Department of the Interior and Local Government issued Memorandum Circular 2019-121 to reclaim all public roads from obstructions, illegal structures and constructions. JJL