Vendors sell rights?

CEBU, Philippines —  The city opened the bazaar, known to many as the night market, to give space to vendors who were displaced from the sidewalks by the city’s road clearing operations. It occupies the stretch of Colon Street from the obelisk near the Parian area to the intersection with Osmeña Boulevard.

It was launched on December 1 and operates from 6 p.m. to midnight, for now.

Matuguina said he has ordered an investigation to compare the master list of vendors against those who are actually selling at the bazaar.

He said monitoring of the bazaar will be intensified.

“Nabalaka ta kay ang gusto sa mayor dili na siya mahitabo (We’re worried because the mayor does not want something like this to happen)," he said.

He said incidents like this are the reasons why Mayor Edgardo Labella did not allow private individuals to facilitate the operation of the bazaar.

He clarified that vendors accommodated at the night bazaar pay only P40. Of this amount, P20 goes to the city government and P20 goes to the barangay.

The vendors pay for the electricity they use and are responsible for maintaining cleanliness in the area with the help of the Department of Public Services (DPS).

Matuguina said they will not hesitate to remove from the bazaar vendors who are found to be selling their spots and give the spots to others.

"Naay ganahan pa makasulod. Daghan gyud ang nagpaabot nga makasulod intawon sila (There are many who wants to join the bazaar. They are just waiting to be accommodated)," he said.

Matuguina urged the vendors to maximize the privilege they are getting from the city and to not abuse the city’s generosity.

To date, there are 518 registered night market vendors. These are the vendors displaced from Colon Street, Osmeña Boulevard, and N. Bacalso Avenue.

The night market can accommodate at least 500 vendors. JMO