MAJORITY of the flower vendors selling at the Bacolod public plaza are not in favor the plan of the City Government of Bacolod to transfer their stalls to the Vendors Plaza at the Reclamation Area.
A 56-year-old vendor, who refused to be named, said Thursday, August 24, they are set to meet with the Diocese of Bacolod, which owns the portion of public plaza that they are occupying, to clarify the plan of the city.
He said they will wait for the decision of the Diocese on whether they will be removed from the area.
“We have been selling here for almost 40 years and this is the best area for the flower vendors, not the Vendors Plaza,” he added.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia had earlier said the Bacolod public plaza should be vendors-free and all the vendors will be transferred to the Vendors Plaza.
He said they are coordinating with the Diocese of Bacolod to regulate the flower vendors.
Last Saturday, 36 vendors occupying the plaza were removed in a clearing operation conducted by a legal team of the City Legal Enforcement and Market Coordinating and Monitoring Task Force.
Of 36 vendors selling foods, only 27 are regularly selling in the area.
The flower vendors are occupying 18 stalls in the plaza, and they are giving donations to the Diocese at P50 per day.
A 48-year-old female vendor said they have been selling flowers in the plaza for a long time and it’s their only source of income to support their family.
She said Executive Assistant Ernie Pineda held a meeting with them last week to inform them that they will regulate the vendors at the plaza, but it was not clear whether they will also be removed.
Most of the flower vendors were worried that if they will be transferred to the Vendors Plaza, their income will decrease since the area is not suitable for flowers because of the condition of the building.
They said that in the previous years, the City Government offered to rehabilitate their area, but it did not push through.
“We are open for any improvement, but we should not be relocated,” they added.
