BAGUIO CITY – The city government’s Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) expressed its gratitude to stallholders and vendors in the different parts of the city major for their utmost cooperation to the stringent policies enforced by the local government to maintain order in the market facility.
Policarpio Cambod, POSD chief, said market stallholders and vendors in the public market did not take advante of the election period to wilfully pursue their trade in the market and violate the stringent anti-peddling rules and regulations as well as the city’s policy on no extension of stalls.
“We are elated because stallholders and vendors did not take advantage of the election period to violate existing rules and regulations that we are currently enforcing in the different parts of the market facility. WE believe our market stakeholders were able to realize that what we are doing is for the greater welfare of the people who want to go around the market and those who want to abide by our existing policies,” Cambod stressed.
While there are some isolated encounters between ambulant vendors and POSD enforcers over the past several weeks, Cambod cited the situation in the city’s public market had been generally normal that allowed them to do their other assigned duties and responsibilities for the people of the city.
For over two years now, the city government had been strictly implementing the anti-peddling policy in the market and along sidewalks after the Baguio-Boracay Re-development Task Force created by the Office of the President raised observations on the rampant illegal peddling along main roads and the city public market.
Cambod reiterated the local government remains firm in the implementation of the no extension of stalls and the no vending on sidewalks in order to sustain orderliness and cleanliness in the public market facility so that local residents and visitors will be able to conveniently go around the market to buy their desired goods from the legitimate stallholders.
It was learned that since the strict implementation of the city’s anti-peddling policy and no extension of stalls, incidents of pickpocketing had dramatically declined after congestions in obstructions in the market were removed through the enforcement of existing rules and regulations.
The POSD chief appealed to stallholders and vendors in the different parts of the city public market to strictly adhere to the various polices being imposed in the facility so that cleanliness and orderliness will be maintained in the city’s show window considering that tourists frequent the market to buy fresh vegetables and other souvenir items for their love ones.
According to him, the fresh mandate given to local officials does not mean that POSD enforcers will become lenient in the enforcement of rules and regulations but instead they will become aggressive in order to instil discipline among vendors who continue to violate existing policies beneficial to the greater interest of the people.
By Dexter A. See
