MANILA, Philippines—Ambulant vendors may soon be a thing of the past at Manila’s Rizal Park.
In a bid to create an “organized vending program” at the park, the National Parks Development Committee has opened a designated vending area in the Japanese Garden.
Instead of the vendors and their buyers littering and loitering around the park, they can conduct business in an organized, designated space, says NPDC Phase Two supervisor Ma. Angela Karamihan.
“The overall welfare of the vendors around and within Rizal Park is invaluable to us. We have made this campaign to provide clean and decent areas for our fellow Filipinos who wish to earn a living within Rizal Park,” Karamihan said in a statement.
The move would also protect the vendors from illegal collections of people who claim to be police or local officials. Karamihan said the vendors themselves have complained of such activities.
With a monitored vending area, parkgoers could also enjoy a higher sense of security whenever they buy food and other merchandise.
Karamihan is calling for Rizal Park vendors to get in touch with the NPDC Administration Office to avail themselves of a stall inside the Japanese Garden.
The Rizal Park organized vending program is in line with the NPDC’s efforts to revive the park as a tourist attraction.