Manila experiments with ‘controlled’ street vendors

MANILA City Hall tries to organize street vendors by gathering them in a bazaar—and earning revenues in the process. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Orange tents for vendors have been put up behind the Bonifacio Shrine near Manila City Hall in a bid to generate income and regulate sidewalk vending.

The new scheme could be replicated in other market areas like Quiapo if deemed successful, Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said.

The city government expects to earn around P800,000 on top of the business tax and P200,000 from special permits paid by the private organizer, according to Domagoso.

“When you look at (vendors) before, they’re everywhere. When you look at them now, they’re in one area in a controlled, regulated, income-generating approach,” the vice mayor said in an interview with reporters.

“This is an experiment on how we can attend to other streets in Manila concerning vendors. How can we solve such a problem if we can’t attend to it in our own backyard?” he added.

Domagoso said the project was in compliance with Mayor Joseph Estrada’s directive to regulate street traffic while still allowing sidewalk vendors to earn a living. Orange, the color of the tents, happens to be the campaign color of the Estrada camp.

“Some 50 sidewalk vendors in the area who sell cigarettes, kwek-kwek (hard-boiled eggs) and fish balls were given space with a flat rate of P20 as hawker’s fee,” Domagoso said.

Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno. NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

In exchange, the organizer who put up the tents, toilets and security measures can rent out the space to up to 300 retailers, Domagoso said.

“Before, the vendors are just out there but we (city government) don’t earn and there’s a problem. Now the government wants to coexist with them while maintaining order in the community,” he said.

“This is a test for the Christmas season. If successful, we will go to Hidalgo, Villalobos, Quiapo, Plaza Miranda, Lacson Underpass,” Domagoso said. “We have to try.”

Domagoso also reported that the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau had collected a total of P26.44-million in fines and penalties over the last four months, or since Estrada took over as mayor.

The bureau’s collection for the first six months of 2013, under the previous administration, was only around P7.34 million, he noted.