Acting city Mayor Faustino A. Olowan admitted that the conduct of trade fairs in parks and public places has been abused by organizers and the local government. Through the years.
Olowan pointed out the need to amend the existing trade fair ordinance to stop the conduct of trade fairs in parks and public places to prevent further abuse of the provisions of the trade fair ordinance.
He claimed that organizers can easily skirt around the exemptions allowed in the trade fair ordinance where such activities are sponsored by the local government, thus, the grant of the previous requests to conduct trade fairs in the different parks and public places in the different parts of the city.
The acting local chief executive said that the provisions of the city’s trade fair ordinance need to be updated by the members of the local legislative body that is why he is supportive on the call to already amend the same and provide for stringent regulations in the conduct of fund raising activities through trade fairs organized by various associations from the different barangays.
He said local officials understand the outrage of the residents against the continuous conduct of trade fairs in the different parks and public places around the city over the past several months that is why the proposal to amend the trade fair ordinance cropped up among the members of the city council to ensure that such fund raising events will already be avoided in parks which he admits is also beyond the commerce of man.
According to him, it is unfortunate that the local government which is supposed to strictly enforce the provisions of the trade fair ordinance served as a conduit for the same to be abused that is why it is high time for such to be stopped or else the situation will go out of control in the future.
Olowan appealed to the residents who have been outrageous on the frequent conduct of trade fairs and public places to understand the decision of the local government since the said activities was aimed at helping the city’s marginalized sectors to recover from the heavy impact that was inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic to the economic activities of the people living in various barangays.
Under the city ordinances, trade fairs, tiangges/baratillos are not allowed to be held in the months of January, June, July, August and December.
The vice mayor also agreed that roads, parks and public places are beyond the commerce of man where the same has been an established doctrine.
However, he argued that there are also circumstances that the local government has to be lenient in enforcing the aforesaid restrictions in the conduct of the said trade fairs when the same entails the need to allow the people to recover from the negative impact of the pandemic to their established economic activities and sources of livelihood for them to be able to sustain the living condition of their families.
