City night vendors oppose Night Market ordinance
Iloilo City -- Night vendors in the city are against the proposal to move them out of their original location to the proposed Night Market area in Muelle Loney Street.
The News Today gathered that they will be asking City Mayor Jerry Treñas to defer the implementation of the ordinance implementing a Night Market in the city. Said ordinance, reportedly, will be implemented by the end of March.
Regulation Ordinance No. 2005-178, Series of 2005 establishes a Night Market in the city along Muelle Loney Street.
City Councilor Jed Patrick Mabilog, chair of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on trade and commerce, said vendors from six areas, namely, Quezon-Mabini Street, Valeria Street, St. Paul's Iloilo area, Arroyo Street, Arsenal Street, and Freedom Grandstand area will be the first to be relocated to the night market area.
Most of the vendors in said areas engage in the business of "carinderia" while others operate barbecue kiosks.
Yolanda Sanchez, one of the vendors outside the Iloilo St. Paul's Hospital in General Luna St., said there was no prior consultation regarding the ordinance. She said, had they been consulted they could have registered strong opposition to it.
Sanchez said the move to transfer them to Muelle Loney is impractical and could affect their business which is their only source of livelihood.
Vendors outside St. Paul's Hospital cater to hospital employees and visitors.
Sanchez said they had been in the area for quite some time and the hospital administration had allowed them there.
"Kun saylohon kami sa Muelle Loney sin-o na lang ang amon kustomer? (If we are transferred to Muelle Loney we will lose our customers)," Sanchez said.
A vendor from the Freedom Grandstand area who spoke on condition of anonymity also questioned the move to transfer them saying they neither litter in the sidewalk nor obstruct the traffic in the area.
"Amo gid lang ni ang amun palangabuhian, gab-i man lang kami ga-negosyo indi man guro kami sablag sa siudad (This is our only source of livelihood, besides we don't think we create a problem for the city since we operate only during nighttime)," the vendor said.
"Kon gusto nila kami pabayaron buwis mabayad man kami basta indi lang nila kami pahalinon di (If they want to charge us with fees we are willing to pay, just don't get us out of here)," the vendor added.
Night vendors usually start their business from 7:00 p.m. until 3:00 a.m. whereby they immediately clean their respective places.
Meanwhile, City Councilor Erwin Plagata found the move to transfer street vendors to the Night Market area unreasonable.
He said the real concept of the Night Market as previously proposed by former Councilor Jose Junio Jacela was meant to give opportunity for other vendors to sell at night and not intended to sort out street vendors.
Plagata assailed the imposition of the ordinance only in the six identified areas in the city proper.
"An ordinance must never be selective. If they intend to implement it then it should cover all street vendors not only those in the city proper," Plagata said.
Plagata also noted that the ordinance is not specific as to the identification of the night market area.
"Muelle Loney is a long stretch of the road, where exactly there?" he asked.
Plagata said the city could regulate the street vendors if they want but not to transfer them to an area far away from their target customers.
A document obtained by The News Today stated that the street vendors in the identified areas are required to apply with the Night Market Committee to be given space in the Night Market area.
Vendors in the Night Market area will be charged nightly P20 per kiosk, as well as fees for the comfort room, lights, security and maintenance.
Mabilog also said that a nightly entertainment will be staged in the night market area in order to attract customers.
The Night Market, according to Mabilog, will enliven the city's night life and could add to the city's tourist attractions.