BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
An ordinance amending Section 5 of City Ordinance No. 1009, or an “Ordinance Regulating Vending in the City of Bacolod,” was approved by the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod on first reading yesterday.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Celia Matea Flor repeals Section 5 of Ordinance No. 1009, which addresses the urgent need to regulate vendors in Bacolod City.
The ordinance covers all vendors operating within the City of Bacolod, excluding registered vendors inside public city markets who have established business locations, have permits, and are paying appropriate taxes to the city, it said.
Upon review, there is a need to amend the ordinance to include designating areas for vending as a responsibility of the Local Market Committee so that the designations can easily be changed and adjusted depending on the current situation of traffic in the various areas, the ordinance said.
Section 5 of C.O. No. 1009 now includes among the responsibilities of the Local Market Committee: to provide a simplified procedure for registering approved vendors; approve and review their applications; issue ID and certifications, as well as rescind aforementioned documents in case of violations; validation and accreditation of street vendors’ associations and its members; and assign vendors to their respective vending areas, it added.*
