THE Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) has denied the allegations against its enforcement team who allegedly assaulted a 63-year-old sidewalk vendor during a clearing operation along Libertad Public Market on January 15, 2026.
City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu said the enforcement team acted with caution and exercised maximum tolerance while performing their duties.
He said the incident happened at 6:52 a.m., when the members of the enforcement team confronted the female vendor for its refusal to remove its root crops displayed along Lizares Street and Amelia Avenue, fronting University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R).
He added that the enforcement team confiscated the vendor’s root crops, but the vendor allegedly attacked the three members of the enforcement team.
Chiu noted that closed circuit television (CCTV) footages showed the vendor repeatedly punching one of the workers of the enforcement team, who was seen parrying the blows, contrary to claims that the she was assaulted by the enforcement team.
Her fellow vendors restrained and prevented her from further assaulting the personnel.
Chiu said the enforcement team had repeatedly warned vendors occupying and obstructing the street around 6 a.m. prior to the incident.
“We respect and recognize our sidewalk vendors, but their actions must adhere to established guidelines to maintain order in public spaces, especially in market areas,” he said.
Chiu said that City Ordinance 1009, series of 2022, regulates ambulant vendors and designated vending zones to ensure cleanliness and rid of unauthorized structures within the city streets.
City Ordinance 810, series of 2017, also gives mandate to City Legal Office through the Enforcement Team to clear all roads within city limits from illegal structures that serve as nuisance and may pose danger to pedestrians, motorists, and the vendors themselves. (MAP)