Sanlakas solon brings vendors' issues to Congress

Sanlakas solon brings vendors' issues to Congress

October 8, 2003

PRESS RELEASE

Rep. J.V. Bautista

Sanlakas Party List

Asserting that the number of street vendors are reduced only in books but not in the streets, Sanlakas party-list representative J.V. Bautista took the floor this afternoon for the vendors, by urging his fellow lawmakers to make forceful recommendations to concerned national and local agencies to address their problems.

"A moratorium on clearing operations," he said, "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."

In his privilege speech, Bautista lambasted Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Bayani Fernando for implementing MMDA Resolution No. 02-28 Series of 2002 not only by force but also in a "Hitlerite" manner, rather than opening up the door for positive negotiation with organized vendors.

"As a result", Bautista said, "Sa mata ng mga vendor, ang dati'y malinis at kahanga-hangang imahe ni Chairman Fernando, na sana'y pam Bise Presidente na, ay napalitan ng larawan ng isang Hitler."

"Confiscating the vendors' commercial articles, drenching them with kerosene or even setting them on fire in order to drain their capital is not only a gross violation of human rights, but more so a sadistic display of brutality, reminiscent of Hitler," he stressed.

According to the Sanlakas solon, this is the reason why Fernando's theory of "ubusan ng kapital" never worked. In Fernando's thinking, 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 how about the persons whose life depends on vending? Mr. Henry Sy can afford to leave his mall business for another, but what about Aling Linda who survives on street vending all her life?" Bautista lamented.

Bautista cited the September 10, 2003 memorandum of M. Neil R. Lina, the City Market Administrator to Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, as an example of how the "brutal", "indiscriminate" and "uncoordinated" clearing operations of MMDA affected both the image of the city as well as its revenues.

"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 in the office to renew their permits, however, some have continued to vend in spite of the risk of being demolished," Lina said.

The Quezon City record shows that there are about 10,000-12,000 vendors in the city, of which 6,000 are registered. But Quezon City Market Administrator said that after a series of demolition jobs by 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. He also noted the dropped in their revenue from P5.021 million in 2002 to P3.714 million in 2003.

Finally, Bautista said 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. Tulong, hindi pagtaboy, ang dapat nilang makuha sa pamahalaan."