ANCILLARY Services Unit

THE ANCILLARY Services Unit (ASU) stressed the need for enabling policies to regulate erring illegal vendors occupying sidewalks and city streets. 

ASU Head Paul Bermejo said Monday that the portion of Marfori Street has been occupied by fruit vendors, especially during December, and the ASU Demolition team warns the vendors every time, but they keep returning. 

Bermejo said this is probably due to the lack of enabling policies that govern these vendors, so they keep on displaying their products on the streets.

Asked if there is a need for an ordinance to penalize the erring vendors, Bermejo said they are more than willing to help craft it.

“Kinahanglan natog enabling policies sa city council. Willing mi magtrabaho ani together with the City Legal Office,” Bermejo stressed during an interview with the city-run disaster radio.

Items confiscated by the demolition team will be brought to the ASU office in the Ma-a Slaughterhouse compound, and vendors can claim them after signing an affidavit of undertaking. The document requires the vendor’s promise not to sell illegally on sidewalks and obstruct streets.

Bermejo said should there be an ordinance, the vendors will be regulated and will not take advantage of the affidavit signing.

Vendors with confiscated items reported in the office reach up to the fourth offense and even the sixth offense, but can still get away with it.

Illegal occupation of sidewalk vendors extending to the major streets continues to be a problem despite road-clearing operations.

“Wala mi lain option kundi i-summarily remove ilang obstruction nga naas kalsada,” Bermejo said 

To summarily remove, he explained, is to remove someone or something quickly without a lengthy process, as stipulated under Executive Order No. 5 Series of 2017, defining responsibilities of the ASU Demolition team.

Bermejo explained this after a viral video resurfaced on social media sites where a fruit vendor and a personnel of ASU were involved in a heated fight in Bankerohan Public Market during one of the road clearing ops.

He confirmed the video was taken in March, which was already resolved in the barangay, and the vendor involved has already filed an affidavit of undertaking.

“Naa mi katungod ug mando pero bisan pa og naa mi mando, amo na syang ginapahimangnoan,” he said.

Bermejo called the barangay local government units of Bankerohan, Agdao, Buhangin, and Toril, where these erring vendors are displaying, to monitor the streets to prevent the vendors from obstructing the pedestrians.