Tuesday, March 06, 2007 Exec says night market failed to solve vending woes
THE experimental night market failed to address illegal vending and the projected income of the City Government regarding this venture was way below the collections obtained by the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO).
This was revealed by Assistant City Treasurer Alicia Onoza in Monday’s regular session of the City Council, who also said the evasion of some vendors from paying the P50 daily fee or “kuartais” explains the shortfall in collections.
Onoza said Mindanao vendors are those that hide from personnel of the CTO every time they collect fees from participating vendors in the night market.
For the past two months, Onoza said the CTO was only able to collect P556,000, adding that more would have been collected if prior to the vendors’ setup, fees are already collected and tickets are issued to those who have paid. She said this is to facilitate the monitoring of paying and non-paying vendors.
Councilor Galo Weygan, meanwhile, opposed the formation of organizations by participating vendors at the night market.
He said the formation of organizations even promotes the illegal collection of fees by leaders of these groups. Weygan stressed that the use of space should be on a first-come-first-served basis, and not exclusive, as what is being practiced at present.
Vendors trooped to the City Council yesterday to ask for an extension of the night market. Acting Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. subsequently granted a 15-day extension.
The City Council, in the meantime, appointed the committee on market, trade and commerce; the committee on tourism, parks and playground; and the Burnham Park Management Authority to study the development of the old auditorium as a pay parking area in the daytime and as a night market in the evening. The night market was supposed to end last January 20. (RO)
