In a bid to provide street vendors with a “dignified” place to sell their goods, the Manila City government set up six vending stalls along Antonio Villegas Street beside the city hall.
Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said the vending stalls are made of metal and have electricity. These stalls can double as a storeroom for the vendors’ goods, he added.
“Itinaas na ang uri at kalidad ng pamahalaang lungsod ang pagtitinda sa kalye,” he said in his city address Wednesday night.
“Vendor ka pa rin, pero may dignidad sa pagtitinda sa kalye, legal, walang mangongotong,” he added.
“Safe lahat ng produkto niyo. Hindi na kayo magbubuhat, tapos kinakabahan kayo. Tapos ‘pag umuulan, nababasa kayo,” he said.
The Manila mayor said the stalls were given to the vendors for free, but they will have to pay a monthly fee of P1,200 or P40 per day.
Domagoso claimed that before this, vendors had to pay P15,000 for an orange tent to sell their products.
The vending stalls were built using donations to the city government, he said.
Domagoso said they will be setting up more stalls in the city, particularly along Ilaya Street in Tondo, Manila.
He said the stalls will have spaces in between so people can easily walk around them.
To recall, the local chief executive banned street vending along Ilaya Street after seeing piles of garbage in the area during a surprise inspection in November 2019.
Domagoso said street vending will still not be allowed along Recto Avenue, Soler Street, Juan Luna Street in Binondo; Juan Luna Street in Tondo, Carriedo Street, Taft Avenue, and Avenida to keep the streets obstruction-free.
The city mayor called on the vendors to keep their stalls clean. (Minka Tiangco)