The Quezon City government has allowed 18 displaced flower vendors to sell in one of the city-owned cemeteries.
The vendors were given spaces to sell in Bagbag Cemetery during an ocular inspection headed by the Civil Registry Department chief Salvador Cariño and Market Development and Administration Department (MDAD) chief Procopio Lipana.
“Alam naman natin na hindi madali para sa lahat ang naging epekto ng pandemyang ito, that’s why we allowed some of them to sell in a different vending site where it’s safer and there wouldn’t be any road obstruction,” Lipana said.
The QC government has decided to give organizers vending sites to provide some leeway in consideration of the effects of the pandemic on the local economy, even if the memorandum circular of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) categorized the vending sites as road obstructions.
“Vendors must register with MDAD to have an authority to sell in vending sites, otherwise, they will be considered illegal and would be included in the clearing operations,” Lipana added.
Last year, Mayor Joy Belmonte stressed that while the memorandum from the national government considers vendors as road obstructions, the city will ease its enforcement of clearing operations on ambulant vendors while providing alternative vending spaces for them to sell.
“Sa Quezon City, pinapayagan pa rin natin ang vendors sapagkat naiintindihan natin ang sitwasyon ngayong may pandemya at kailangan nila maghanap-buhay, ginagawa natin ito for humanitarian and economic reasons,” said Belmonte.
When the country was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine last year, the city was also able to provide cash assistance to ambulant vendors and other informal sector workers through its Kalingang QC program.
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