BACOLOD City — The City Enforcement Unit (CEU) of the City Legal Office (CLO) conducted a clearing operation along Amelia and Mercedes streets near Libertad Market last week, removing illegal ambulant vendors obstructing sidewalks and roadways.
About 50 ambulant vendors were displaced during the operation led by CEU head Levy Pangue.
Pangue said the clearing drive was part of the city’s continuing efforts to ease traffic congestion and keep major roads passable. The campaign started last year and resumed on January 2.
He noted that vendors along the affected streets had been repeatedly warned, as their presence had contributed to persistent traffic problems in the area.
During the operation, authorities confiscated and impounded several tables, benches, umbrellas, and various merchandise found blocking pedestrian walkways and roadways.
Meanwhile, in a radio interview, Jojo Moyani, president of the Libertad Burgos Central Market Association, called on the city government to ensure the proper relocation of ambulant vendors displaced by the clearing operations.
Moyani said the enforcement also affected vendors operating along Mabini, Lopez Jaena, and Hernaez streets, as well as Amelia Avenue.
While expressing support for the local government unit’s (LGU) initiative to clear and clean the streets, Moyani stressed the need for a humane and organized approach in relocating affected vendors.
He also urged market vendors to comply with city regulations and existing ordinances, saying that maintaining order and cleanliness in the market area would attract more residents and shoppers, especially as Bacolod moves toward becoming a “super city.”
Moyani further appealed to the LGU to consider using the annex building of Libertad Market as a designated vending area for ambulant vendors. He said the facility has long been neglected and is now being used as a sleeping area and hangout for solvent sniffers./PN
