• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Bacolod City Legal Office (CLO) Enforcement Team conducted an extensive clearing operation at the Libertad Public Market yesterday morning.
Executive Assistant Levy Pangue, who led the enforcement units, issued a warning to vendors after an inspection of Amelia and Mercedes Streets revealed obstructions and unsanitary conditions.
Working alongside the Bacolod Traffic and Transport Management Department led by Atty. Reuben Sabig, Pangue’s team targeted fruit and live poultry vendors occupying sidewalks and roadways.
Pangue expressed frustration that a prior agreement to maintain a one-meter alley for public access had been ignored, with pathways instead blocked by illegal structures.
“This is a place for selling, not a place for living,” Pangue stated, noting that some vendors had brought in beds, stoves, and even constructed private toilets within the market area.
During the operation, enforcement personnel confiscated building materials and pillars to prevent vendors from immediately rebuilding unauthorized extensions.
Pangue said that while the city government has previously granted privileges to the vendors, the current lack of cooperation and cleanliness is no longer tolerable.
He warned the vendors’ association that if they continue to expand their stalls illegally or fail to maintain the environment, the city will move to revoke their existing privileges.*
