BAGUIO CITY – The city’s Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) belied a post in the social media depicting members of its enforcement division of allegedly throwing or causing the destruction of the merchandise of ambulant vendors situated in the Lions Head during a recent clearing operation.
POSD assistant head Bromeo Lumiib explained that what actually transpired is that the POSD roving team of 6 enforcers on board a marked government elf truck was spotted from a distance by the illegal vendors approaching the place where they were conducting their illegal vending activities.
Ironically, Lumiib disclosed that based on what they saw during the surprise clearing operation, most of the vendors allegedly started throwing their goods down the dried river bed below the sidewalk and railings along Kennon road from where their big umbrella which they have been using as shelters were tied and goods for sale were illegally displayed.
Further, he added that other erring vendors immediately hauled and brought their goods to the government-built stalls above the road where vendors with special permits were supposed to occupy and do vending activities.
Lumiib claimed some of the vendors went hysterical and intentionally scattered and smashed some bottles of food preserves right in front of him and combined enforcement operatives while the surprise clearing operation was underway.
“The result was that only a few of the goods being illegally sold in the prohibited area were confiscated. Due to the messy situation in the area, the POSD team was not able to make an inventory of the confiscated goods and instead, he invited three volunteer leaders from the group of the vendors to accompany the elf truck where the confiscated goods were loaded to the POSD enforcement section office at Block 4,”Lumiib stressed.
According to him, the 3 vendors witnessed the transportation, inventory and the subsequent redemption of the goods by their owners after payment of the corresponding penalty at the City Treasury Office.
Moreover, he disclosed that the 3 volunteers could also pinpoint their colleagues who threw and scattered their goods while the operation was underway.
More importantly, the POSD assistant head stipulated that the leaders of the vendors reportedly apologized for the melee that transpired in the area and that whoever posted the fake video in social media depicting the alleged wrongdoing of the enforcers only intends to ruin the image of the POSD with the hope that the enforcers will be intimidated in doing their duties and responsibilities for the betterment of the public.
The POSD challenged whoever posted the purportedly fake video in the social media to come out in the open and prove his or her malicious allegations against the enforcers because they are willing to face them in whatever venue to prove that their accusations of alleged abuse of their duties are totally wrong and a total reverse of what actually happened during the clearing operations in the Lions Head area which had been the subject of numerous complaints from residents and visitors passing the place daily.
By Dexter A. See
