Sanlakas Rep. JV Bautista's speech on vendors

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Sanlakas partylist representative JV Bautista's speech at Congress

Maliliit na Manininda ng Kamaynilaan: Dapat bang Kamuhian o Dapat Tulungan?

October 8, 2003

Mr. Speaker, I rise here today on a matter of personal and collective privilege on the issue of our hapless street vendors, many of whom have suffered and continue to suffer inhumane treatment from the hands of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and their respective local government units.

Mr. Speaker, bago ko isa-isahin ang mga reklamo at karaingan ng maliliit nating manininda dito sa Kamaynilaan, nais kong iparating sa inyo na narito ngayon sa bulwagang ito ang kanilang mga kinatawan mula sa Metro Manila Vendors Alliance (MMVA). They have asked this humble representation to speak on their behalf and they would be very hopeful and happy to listen to what would be our collective response to their plight.

Good intentions done through brutal experiment

Mr. Speaker, mula nang ipatupad ng MMDA ang kanilang clearing operations laban sa mga sidewalk vendors sa Kamaynilaan noong Hulyo 2002, sa bisa ng MMDA Resolution No. 02-28 Series of 2002, naging kalbaryo na ang buhay ng ating mga kapatid na vendors. Ito ay dahil idinaan ni Chairman Fernando sa pwersa at dahas hindi sa mapayapang negosasyon ang pagpapatupad ng naturang MMDA Resolution. Kaya ngayon sa mata ng mga vendor, ang malinis at kahanga-hangang imahe ni MMDA Chair Bayani Fernando ay napalitan ng isang Hitler.

From July 2002 up to now, Mr. Speaker, the Metro Manila Vendors Alliance has recorded untold cases of physical assault from MMDA operatives ranging from harassment to extreme use of force that resulted to serious physical injuries to the death of three vendors. Sa katunayan, sa Cubao ay may kaso pa ng naputulan ng kamay dahil sa paglaban sa operatiba ng MMDA na armado ng samurai. Also, an estimated 2-3 million pesos worth of commercial articles were confiscated by MMDA personnel that resulted to economic dislocation of vendors.

Wala ring pinipili ang pandarahas ng MMDA, Mr. Speaker. Babae at lalaki, matatanda, buntis at bata ay pare-pareho ang trato sa kanila. From Monumento to Baclaran, from Fairview to Taft, and from Cubao to Divisoria, these helpless vendors, numbering tens of thousands including

their families, suffered the same fate under Bayani Fernando's brutal regime in MMDA. Up to now, they are still waiting for justice.

Marami pang mga kaso ng karahasan, Mr. Speaker, na hindi nakareport dahil takot din ang mga vendor na magpa-blotter sa mga pulis. Tinitiis nila ang kalagayang ito, tinatanggap nila ang kaapihang ito, dahil ito na ang nagisnan nilang buhay bilang vendor - ang mabuhay sa pamamagitan ng pagtitinda sa gitna ng peligroso at marahas na pagtrato sa kanila ng mga nasa awtoridad.

Sanlakas in defense

Mr. Speaker, habang nagaganap ang karahasan ng MMDA laban sa mga vendors, ang aking organisasyong kinakatawan, ang Sanlakas, ay hindi nangiming sila'y

suportahan sa kabila ng suportang tinatanggap naman ni Chairman Fernando mula sa nakatataas na uri ng ating lipunan. Ngunit ito ay hindi dahil wala kaming konsepto ng kalinisan at kaayusan sa ating mga lansangan. Hindi dahil sinasang-ayunan namin ang paglabag nila sa batas. Hindi dahil kunukunsinti namin ang kanilang kamangmangan sa iba pang paraan ng paghahanapbuhay.

Like Chairman Fernando, we also are yearning to live in an ideal, peaceful, orderly and livable city of men, women and children not only in Metro Manila but also in all urban centers nationwide. However, accomplishing such great task, we believe, requires not a brutal man but a benevolent leadership this country has yet to find.

Mr. Speaker, simple lang ang aming dahilan sa pag-aalala sa kalagayan ng ating maliliit na vendor. Ang kaharap nating problema ay isang masamang realidad -- ang realidad ng kahirapan na nagtulak sa ating mahihirap na kababayan na suungin ang peligrosong paraan ng paghahanapbuhay. Bakit lalo pa natin silang pinahihirapan? Gayung kahit ganito ang napili nilang buhay, naghahanapbuhay sila ng marangal. Maaaring sa mata ng batas ang kanilang paraan ng hanapbuhay ay iligal pero sa konsepto ng hustisya sila ay hindi perwisyo sa ating lipunan. Maging sa buhay ekonomiya ng bansa, sila ay hindi pabigat kundi'y nakakatulong pa sa pamahalaan na walang kapasidad na magbigay ng pormal na empleyo sa milyun-milyong walang hanapbuhay.

"Ubusan ng kapital"

What these vendors find more revolting, Mr. Speaker, about Chairman Fernando's prescription in addressing the vendor's problems is his theory of "ubusan ng kapital". Confiscating vendors' commercial articles or setting them on fire to drain their capital is not only a violation of human rights but also a gruesome display of brutality, which is Hitler's trademark. In his ingenious theory, Mr. Speaker, Chairman Fernando believes that sidewalk vending will stop once peddlers run out of capital. Well, that might be true for a person who only makes vending for fun but not for a person who vends for life. Perhaps, Henry Sy can leave his mall business for another but not for Ka Pedring who lives on street vending for all his life.

Mr. Speaker, nagtagumpay ba ang teoryang ito ni BF? According to Mr. Neil R. Lina, the City Market Administrator of Quezon City, in his memorandum to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte dated September 10, 2003: "The number of registered vendors reduced only in books but not in the streets."

Let me quote him in full: "Problems and complaints have arisen against the alleged abuse of authority by MMDA operatives. Cases after cases have been filed against these people, Bayani Fernando included. As a result of their indiscriminate and uncoordinated clearing operations with the city counterparts, the number of registered vendors in the city has been greatly reduced. Many of them refuse to go back to the office to renew their permits, however, some have continued to vend in spite of the risk of being demolished. Our record shows that there are about 10,000 to 12,000 vendors in the city of which 6,000 are registered. After a series of demolition jobs by the MMDA the number of vendors who are renewing their permits considerably dropped, but nevertheless you would see many of them back on the streets again and again."

Along this fact, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Lina also noted some negative effects on the "indiscriminate, brutal, inhuman and barbaric acts of MMDA personnel", and I quote:

1. "Many of our vendors who have faithfully paid and complied with our requirements have been victimized involving loss of hundreds of thousands of pesos in capital. Goods and even cash sales were confiscated but not returned;

2. MMDA continues to defy the permits we are issuing. Thus, the vendors' trust and confidence in our effort to require them to pay our vending taxes and fees is diminished;

3. Because of this, many of registered vendors have stopped renewing their permits from us. Hence, the reduction and slump in revenues. Last year 2002, was our highest collection of P5.021 million. This year's collection could have been bigger had not for MMDA's abuses. As of June 2003, we just collected P3.714 million;

4. Even though vendors are aware of the previous written proposal by the City Market Administrator to the Mayor to declare alternative vending sites, the image of the city has been marred since the vendors do not see it implemented. They perceive lack of support to their business or a relocation site where their trading will be unhampered by threats of demolition is a failure on the part of the City Government."

Mas malamang, Mr. Speaker, ganyan din ang nangyayari sa maraming syudad sa Metro Manila. Marahil, dahil sa inaasahang mangyayari, kung bakit hindi sumang-ayon sa naturang ordinansa ng MMDA ang mga lungsod ng Maynila, Mandaluyong at Caloocan. Sila ay nagpapatupad ng sariling vending program na may konsultasyon sa mga manininda.

Disorder to anarchy

Mr. Speaker, ganyan kadalasan ang nagiging resulta ng Hitler na pormula sa paglutas ng problema. Sa halip na maayos nang mapayapa ang problema lalo lang itong nauuwi sa anarkiya. Sa halip na maorganisa sa isang programa ang mga vendor at maipatupad ang disiplina, itinulak sila ni Fernando sa pagtitinda sa paraang gerilya.

Hindi nagkulang ang mga manininda na ipaabot ang kanilang hinaing sa mga kinauukulang ahensya ng pamahalaan. Sa katunayan, humarap na sila sa Pangulo, sa National Anti-Poverty Commission, sa Commission on Human Rights at sa kanilang mga mayor, sa layuning ayusin sa paraan ng negosasyon ang kanilang kalalagyan at ang kabutihan ng syudad. Tanging si Chairman Fernando ang hindi humaharap sa kanila para makipag-usap.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I urge this august body to make forceful recommendations to concerned agencies to urgently and finally come to a viable solution to address the problems of our hapless vendors. A moratorium on clearing operations would be a good start that must be followed by positive negotiations both in the national agencies level as well as in the local levels.

Mr. Speaker, small vendors are not our enemies in the streets. They are dignified people who make their living out of the shameful failure of our government to provide them decent lives. Hindi ba't sa halip na kamuhian at ipagtabuyan, sila ay dapat tulungan ng pamahalaan?

Maraming salamat, Mr. Speaker.