NIGHT STROLL. Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy (right) listens to the concerns of sidewalk vendors outside Cogon Public Market on Saturday night (Nov. 5, 2022). Uy said they will be treated with maximum tolerance as long as they follow rules. (Courtesy of City Mayor's Office)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Sidewalk vendors here who cannot afford stalls in the market will be granted maximum tolerance so as not to disrupt their sources of income.
Mayor Rolando Uy and other city hall officials inspected the surrounding areas of the Cogon Public Market, the city's largest, on Saturday night.
He said vendors need not experience "karate," a local slang referring to evicting unauthorized sidewalk vendors.
"We will use maximum tolerance. We will do our best to understand," Uy said in an interview.
Uy said there are vendors who bypassed regulations, such as the agreement to sell their goods outside the premises of the market, while some complied and transferred their wares.
Sidewalk vendors are temporarily allowed to sell outside the public market from 6 p.m. until dawn but their tables or displays should not exceed 1.5 meters and must not block roads.
Motorists have been complaining about the worsening traffic congestion when sidewalk vendors start selling during rush hours or as early as 5 p.m.
Uy said the vendors will eventually be transferred to a place where they will not impede movement of vehicles and passersby.
He also reminded vendors to take their trash with them. (PNA)
