ABOUT 1,500 sidewalk vendors in Iloilo City have been ordered to vacate their spots by today, Sept. 9, in line with the national government’s directive to clear roads and public spaces from all obstructions. “In my four terms as a mayor, I never ordered for the displacement of the sidewalk vendors. But now, I have no choice because this is the mandate of the President. I am asking for your cooperation and I hope you will understand me,” Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said. Affected vendors will get P5,000 financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Mr. Treñas assured. The city’s Public Employment Service Office, together with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, will also provide trainings for alternative livelihood such as food processing, dressmaking, and souvenir-making. There will also be an option to relocate at the old International Hotel on Aldeguer-JM Basa Streets in the city proper district or in a property of Panay Electric Company in JM Basa as well. Despite the assistance programs, several vendors are appealing to stay at their current locations. “They can regulate the sizes of our shoe boxes, we are really amenable to that. Just don’t displace us,” said 40-year old Joeven F. Herrera, who, along with his father and brother, have a shoe repair shop along Ledesma Street. Department of Interior and Local Government-Iloilo City Director Roy D. Defiño, on the other, pointed out that apart from the President’s directive, the city has an ordinance since 1992 prohibiting the use of city sidewalks for the construction of stalls and kiosks for commercial purposes. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

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