‘Divisoria puesto’ for all

That would be a dream come true for every enterprising street vendor all over the Philippines. A time when nobody has to occupy the road, block the sidewalk or fight with local government or the MMDA. A time when everybody and anybody can proudly say they own a stall or their own store because the “government” either local, provincial or national actually gave them a chance to own one, not a doleout, instead of running them out of business or out of town!

Yes, it is possible! Think of Divisoria, Greenhills and Farmers Market of the old days. The “stalls” there were suppose to be the entry point of vendors, their stepping stone into entrepreneurship or start up businesses. But as long as you have to pay rent, water and electricity as well as security to the property owners, you were actually working for them. Then utilities and real estate taxes went up through the years and so did the rent, so what happened was vendors were forced to downsize to cut cost while being forced to slash prices due to a flood of gaya-gaya competition that was never regulated by the property owners. The worst was for those who actually bought real estate only to find the front of their stores blocked or occupied by “illegal vendors” or turned into public toilets because there was always a severe shortage of both. Eventually it all ended up as survival of the fittest or the toughest.

On our last day in Seoul, Korea, our host and friend Jin H. Kim brought us to the South Gate District or Nam Dae Mun, one of the oldest largest “Divisoria style” markets in South Korea. It was reminiscent of the old Baguio Vegetable Market that was spacious, cool, clean and organized. Vendors and products were assigned to specific areas, the stores were about four to six meters wide and deep, no one was allowed to dump or just pile things up. Products were neatly displayed and people had lots of room to move around. But that was not the magic. The magic was when I saw what I thought was an underground pedestrian crossing that turned out to be the stairway to another market underground, just as big and wide and as busy as Nam Dae Mun at street level! Imagine duplicating the entire Divisoria area underground but fully lit, spacious, clean and air-conditioned and with just as many “suki” or buyers patronizing the place.

That is the solution or the answer when poor street vendors ask: “Paano naman kami? Saan kami pupwesto? (What about us, where will we do business?)” 

The big mistake of national and local governments is that every time they make public markets or Agoras, it is within a limited area and the prevailing mentality is to build up, rent out stalls that are so small, in cramped areas. Isn’t it weird that “City Hall” is responsible for fire and safety but they all build mazes that are fire traps and designed for accidents?

So how can we correct the situation?  Call me crazy but we might want to consider a POSITIVE version of Urban Land Reform where the government or a consortium working with government and Congress can lay out a plan and program to use up, buy up, or redevelop public and private properties in such a way where the land is bought from owners at realistic prices, then properties are developed block by block below and or above ground to develop commercial/office  establishments at least three to four layers deep. 

By multiplying land use to four times and selling to vendors or “offices,” Filipino entrepreneurs or street vendors can now buy their own stalls or space. We do away with the one-sidedness of the rental system and the government will directly benefit from the economic boom as well as eradication of underground economies that don’t pay taxes. The land owners who “cooperated’ would be rewarded with a space refund or “buy back space” option or tax exemption from sale of the land.

Positive Urban Land Reform may scare you but if you get the money and still keep some of the area, that’s having your cake and eating it too. Imagine if we extend this opportunity to our millions of OFWs working abroad? They would have something to invest in that has real value and will transition them from being mere domestic helpers sending money to a bottomless pit, to commercial space owners and they can then start sending home not just money but products to sell from their location. That would also create an international bazaar of sorts!

In any case, the point is, we always talk about inclusive growth but how can we have true inclusive growth when all the land and all the wealth and all the stores, businesses and opportunities are owned by the EXCLUSIVE few? It is pure unadulterated hypocrisy to speak of inclusive growth, corporate social responsibility or partnering with the poor if you are not willing to share and I don’t mean share as in show off like in Facebook. I mean really sharing. Profit is not a sin. The sin is to prevent millions of Filipinos from improving their economic status and the Philippine economy because you won’t open your eyes and especially your hearts to what is possible.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]