THE Ancillary Service Unit (ASU) is firm on stopping vendors from occupying roads and streets at the Bankerohan Public Market along Marfori Street, following a viral video showing a personnel from the office confiscating goods from fruit vendors.
Paul Bermejo, head of ASU, reiterated that vendors will no longer be allowed to occupy the roads and streets in the market. He explained that they had already allowed the vendors to use the sidewalks; all they ask is for the vendors to vacate the yellow box.
“Ang sabot namo dira, ilaha na lang gani nang sidewalk, wala may 1/3, 2/3 sa diha nga portion, ang amoa lang dili lang nila okupahon ang yellowbox (Our agreement there is that the sidewalk will be theirs already; there’s no such thing as a1/3-2/3 policy in that portion. What we only ask is that they don’t occupy the yellow box),” he said in a radio interview on Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR), on Monday morning, July 7, 2025.
This comes after a video of the demolition team confiscating fruits from a vendor in Bankerohan went viral. The footage showed ASU personnel warning the vendors and confiscating their goods. A fruit vendor was then seen retaliating and chasing after the confiscated fruits.
Bermejo clarified that the incident occurred on March 12, 2025. He emphasized that vendors should be aware that confiscated products can still be claimed back.
According to him, long-time vendors already knew this process. The confiscated items may be retrieved at the ASU office located at the Maa Slaughterhouse Compound. Before the goods can be released, vendors must sign an Affidavit of Undertaking, stating that they will not repeat the violation.
Bermejo added that the vendor involved in the incident, along with the individual who retaliated against ASU personnel, had already been summoned by the barangay authorities in the area.
He explained that one of the mandates of the ASU, as outlined in Executive Order No. 5, series of 2017, is to address illegal occupation of sidewalks. The unit is tasked with ensuring unobstructed pedestrian access and regulating vendors, including the removal of illegal vendors, obstructions, and unauthorized occupants.
Despite this mandate, Bermejo said ASU personnel have continually reminded vendors not to occupy the roads, especially since they are stationed daily at Bankerohan.
He further noted that by December 2024, the road near the fruit vendor section at Bankerohan became impassable, prompting the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) to close the road.
Bermejo stated that another clearing operation was conducted in June 2025, following a directive from Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, to maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of the Bankerohan Public Market.
He also announced that another clearing operation will take place this month. Three teams will be assigned to monitor the area in three shifts: 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., and 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. For now, he observed that vendors have not been occupying the yellow box, only the gutter. RGP