ILOILO City – Flower vendors operating without special permits face immediate closure of their stalls, while cemetery visitors will be subjected to tighter security and public safety restrictions as the Iloilo City Government rolls out sweeping regulations for this year’s observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
Under Executive Order (EO) No. 103, Series of 2026, signed by Mayor Raisa Treñas on October 1, the city government is imposing stricter controls on commercial activities, traffic, sanitation and public behavior in cemeteries, memorial parks and designated flower vending areas from October 29 to November 3.
The directive seeks to prevent congestion, maintain peace and order, and ensure that the influx of cemetery visitors during Undas does not compromise public safety or disrupt pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
A major provision requires flower vendors to secure a special permit from the City Mayor and pay a P500 fee before operating in designated public spaces.
Applications are being accepted from October 5 to 23, giving vendors a limited period to comply with the requirements ahead of the traditional surge in flower sales.
Only five locations have been designated for flower vending: Jaro Plaza, Molo Plaza, Mandurriao Plaza, Arevalo Plaza and Iznart Street in City Proper.
Vendors must submit a barangay clearance, community tax certificate (cedula), valid identification, a special permit contract from the Public Order and Safety Management Office–Special Services Division (POSMO-SSD), a copy of EO 103, and anti-smoking signage from the Iloilo City Anti-Smoking Task Force (ICAST).
The P500 permit fee must be paid at the City Treasurer’s Office.
STRICT CEMETERY RESTRICTIONS
Beyond regulating flower vending, the executive order prohibits alcoholic beverages, hazardous and highly combustible materials, unregistered drones, unauthorized firearms, loudspeakers, videoke machines and gambling paraphernalia within and around cemeteries, memorial parks, graveyards and similar locations.
Overnight stays and littering are likewise prohibited throughout the specified period.
The city government will strictly enforce its “Clean As You Go” (CLAYGO) policy, requiring visitors to properly dispose of garbage at designated collection points.
The restrictions are intended to prevent disturbances, reduce safety risks and preserve the solemnity of the annual commemoration of departed loved ones.
TIGHTER CONTROL OVER VENDORS
Flower stalls must comply with prescribed dimensions of two meters in length and three meters in height.
Cooking within designated vending areas is prohibited, while minors are barred from manning the stalls.
Vendors must also provide cleaning materials and garbage receptacles and ensure that their operations do not obstruct sidewalks, roads or pedestrian passageways.
Stall installation may begin at 12:01 a.m. on October 29, but all structures must be dismantled and vending areas completely cleared by 8 p.m. on November 2.
Violations of the permit conditions may result in the immediate revocation of special permits without a refund.
BALANCING LIVELIHOOD AND PUBLIC SAFETY
The city government emphasized that the restrictions are not intended to deprive small vendors of livelihood opportunities but to regulate commercial activities in public spaces during one of the busiest periods of the year.
“The City must strike a balance between the use of public places vis-a-vis the provision of livelihood and economic enhancement to indigents in line with the state policy of social justice and to free the people from poverty and improve their quality of life and standard of living through the regulation of the commercial use of sidewalks,” the EO stated.
It added that “it is imperative that such vending activities be properly regulated in order to prevent obstruction to vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and to ensure peace, order, and public safety within and around cemeteries and other areas where people customarily congregate during the said period.”
The order assigns POSMO, the Iloilo City Police Auxiliary Unit, the Traffic and Transportation Management Office, the City Health Office and the Public Information Office to implement the regulations.
These offices will oversee public order, traffic management, sanitation and information dissemination throughout the Undas observance./PN
