Bacolod City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu denied allegations that members of the City Legal Office Enforcement Team hurt a 63-year-old sidewalk vendor during a routine inspection and clearing operation at the Libertad Public Market area.
“The enforcement team acted with caution and exercised maximum tolerance while performing their duties,” Chiu said in a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
The incident occurred around 6:52 a.m. Thursday morning, January 15, when members of the enforcement team confronted the vendor for refusing to remove her camote products obstructing the corner of Lizares Street and Amelia Avenue, fronting the University of Negros Occidental – Recoletos (UNO-R), the press release said.
The confrontation resulted in the confiscation of the vendor’s sack of camote products, which allegedly led her to attack three of the enforcement personnel amid rising tension.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage captured the scene, showing the complainant repeatedly punching a male personnel, who was seen parrying the blows, contrary to claims that the vendor was assaulted by the enforcement team. Her fellow vendors restrained and prevented her from further assaulting the personnel, the press release said.
Chiu emphasized that the enforcement team had repeatedly warned vendors occupying and obstructing the street around 6 a.m. prior to the incident.
“We respect and recognize our sidewalk vendors, but their actions must adhere to established guidelines to maintain order in public spaces, especially in market areas,” Chiu added.
City Ordinance No. 1009, series of 2022 regulates ambulant vendors and designated vending zones to ensure cleanliness and rid of unauthorized structures within the city streets.
While the City Ordinance No. 810, series of 2017 mandates the City Legal Office through its Enforcement Team to clear all roads within city limits from illegal structures that serve as a nuisance and may pose danger to pedestrians, motorists as well as the vendors themselves, the press release said.*