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Friday, March 29, 2024

Recto side streets open to vendors

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To balance the right of the motorists and commuters to traffic-free roads and the vendors’ need to make a living, Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Monday allowed vendors who are residents of Manila to operate in certain side streets of Divisoria.

Estrada said he made this compromise because he pitied the hundreds of vendors displaced by road clearing.

“As their leader and the father of the city, it is my duty to look after our poor vendors,” he said.

“But still, I have to think of the welfare of the thousands of motorists and commuters who lose valuable time and opportunities when stuck in heavy traffic,” Estrada said.

Mayor Joseph Estrada

Estrada has tasked the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau (MTPB) to help reorganize thousands of vendors in Divisoria.

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According to the bureau, an initial batch of 610 sidewalk vendors would be “returned” to the Divisoria side streets of Tabora, Carmen Planas, Juan Luna, Sto. Cristo and Ilaya.

“Initially, they would be allowed to sell on the sidewalks,” the bureau said.

Estrada asked the MTPB to screen the 610 vendors to ensure that all of them are bona fide residents of Manila. They were then required to register with the Bureau of Permits and secure the necessary hawkers’ permits.

“Of the 10 illegal vendors driven away during our past operations, seven were non-Manila residents. Many came from Pangasinan, Cavite and as far as Mindanao. Divisoria has become a Mecca, ” the bureau said.

Illegal vendors who have no permits and are non-residents would still be banned in Divisoria Market, it emphasized.

“At least we saw who are worthy to be given a   livelihood by the Mayor. We conducted a census on them all,” the MTPB added.

Legitimate Manileño vendors are now entitled to the social services of the city government.

To ensure that Divisoria’s major roads remain vendor-free, MTPB, in coordination with the barangay officials and Manila Police District, is keeping a 24/7 watch in the area, the bureau added.

Since June, Estrada has intensified the city government’s road and sidewalk clearing operations, driving away more than 3,500 illegal vendors and removing countless number of obstructions and illegal structures.

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