• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The City Legal Office (CLO) has issued a final 10-day notice to vacate and dismantle 51 roadside stalls at the ‘Asenso Market’ in Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City, after operating for two months without a valid special permit.
CLO Head Atty. Karol Joseph Chiu said the warning also covers the barangay council itself, which was the organizer of the market area.
While the barangay initially requested a special permit from the Sangguniang Panlungsod, Chiu revealed that neither the barangay nor a single vendor followed through to complete the actual application process.
“If we are talking about the rule of law, we have to govern by the laws and rules set by the city. Being barangay officials, they should be at the forefront of implementing the rules and regulations. They should have ensured that each vendor had a special permit,” he said.
The Business Permits and Licensing Office has already issued a certification confirming that no special permits were secured by any of the vendors or stalls in the area.
Chiu further noted that while special permits are strictly meant for temporary stalls, the operators instead built permanent structures on the roadside.
The city legal added that the enforcement team had previously moved to intervene, but paused out of respect for the Bacolod SP who granted the special permit.
The vendors and the organizing barangay have been given exactly 10 days to completely clear out and remove all permanent structures from the roadside.*
