Street vending: Dignify & regulate

It is noteworthy that at the instance of President Rodrigo Duterte, all local government units (LGUs) in the country are now trying to recover our streets and sidewalks for vehicular and foot traffic. Though long overdue, at least, LGU executives look so serious this time. We say, long overdue, because we’ve been experiencing so much discomfort of the messy set up in our walkways for a very long time.

The good thing about Cebu City is, the world renowned industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue has offered to help design the carts for these street vendors as they transfer to their new designated locations. As Mayor Ed Labella puts it, the stalls would look dignified.

Indeed, sidewalk or street vending has been here since time immemorial. It thrives through good and bad times. However, through the years, it has tremendously evolved. While street vending used to be exclusively for cheap meals, snacks and juices, today, it has become a distribution channel for multimillionaires’ counterfeit and smuggled items. Undeniably, the bona fide sidewalk vendors (those in untidy food carts) are simply drifting on hand-to-mouth existence.

To recall, just before this new initiative was undertaken, one need not conduct a comprehensive research to understand the situation. Then, one can just keenly observe that they were so crammed full, untidy and so unhealthy. They didn’t realize that they thrived on pedestrians’ patronage. These are pedestrians who largely consider convenience, comfort and safety. They were seemingly unaware that pedestrians shy away from streets that are too difficult to navigate and refrain from buying food that are messily prepared, such as those reportedly fried with used cooking oil.

On the other hand, on the same streets, we have a bunch of shrewd businessmen who are masquerading as sidewalk vendors. Calling them sidewalk vendors isn’t degrading but an understatement. It is a fact that most of them have entrepreneurial smarts and have only preferred to be labeled as such (sidewalk vendors) to justify their tax-free existence. These entrepreneurs are selling their wares, like bootleg DVDs, garments, etc., even in ramps for handicapped at amazing bargain by choice. Most of them never went for employment because they chose to become employers themselves.

Unmindful of the dire consequences, customers and sidewalk vendors alike are just too preoccupied about their own interests. Directly benefited by their self-centeredness are counterfeiters and pirates. Unscrupulous individuals who do not care to contribute to our economy through tax payments. Badly, this misguided patronage is killing legitimate and taxpaying institutions due to unfair competition. Consequently, the government is losing honest taxpayers and will continue to starve for the much needed revenue. Worse, the prevalence of these counterfeit items will also discourage potential inventors or designers from innovating for fear of being imitated and plagiarized.

There are thousands of them in Metro Cebu. In fact, before this national directive was put in place, they were so uncontrollably plenty and were loosely monitored. Reportedly, most LGUs left the monitoring and regulating to their respective vendors’ associations. Associations that were so politicized and mired with corruption,  rifts, and charges of favoritism.

Indeed, the need for LGUs to regulate sidewalk vending is necessary. In fact, Cebu’s dream of becoming one of Asia’s major tourist destinations has made it more relevant and urgent. To make it more mutually beneficial, our ordinances should establish, among others, location restrictions, design requirements and operational guidelines. Location restriction should include prohibitions in setting up carts within intersections, access ramps for handicapped and in jeepney stops.

To ensure viability, the distance between carts must also be established. Designs requirements should include the allowable length and height, use of carts, and the use of umbrella or canopy. Operating guidelines shall include prominent display of business licenses (in securing for a permit, health certificate is a must), maintenance of cleanliness and orderliness in the area, obedience of lawful order of a police officer when they are requested to transfer to another location, pushing out the cart from the streets after business hours, and items allowed to be sold.

Expectedly, regulating sidewalk vending will certainly solicit both favorable and violent reactions. Before we raise our disagreeing tunes, however, let us be reminded that like the major cities in the USA (Los Angeles and Salt Lake), that have passed ordinances to protect both the vendors and the buying public, we shall regulate ours too for the same reasons.

Through these ordinances, sidewalk vendors will enjoy a certain aura of legitimacy while the buying public relishes in the certainty of security and health safety. Adequately regulated, they shall truly become dignified.