The Ancillary Services Unit (ASU), together with the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO), the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), the Davao City Police Office (DCPO), and other agencies, launched a series of road clearing operations in public markets. This is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to ensure order in public roads, the safety and convenience of pedestrians, and avoid obstructions during emergencies.
“Ang purpose nato is para ma-clear ang road para ma-ease ang traffic diha sa Marfori, Datu Bago Drive, ug Pichon para malikayan pud nato ang congestion sa mga sakyanan diha ug malikayan nato ang disgrasya, kay naa naman gud nangaligsan diha nga mga senior citizen duol sa may Marfori (Of course, our purpose for clearing the road is to ease the traffic flow along Marfori and Datu Bago Drive and the Pichon area. This is to avoid congestion and traffic and to prevent accidents, as there are many senior citizens walking near Marfori),” Paul Bermejo, Head of the ASU, said in an interview with the City Information Office.
On May 12, teams from the ASU, CTTMO, PSSO, DCPO, and Task Force Davao visited three major public markets in the city: Bankerohan, Toril, and Agdao. Several structures and containers from stalls that had occupied sidewalks and main roads were confiscated, though the vendors’ products and merchandise were left untouched.
Bermejo explained that the teams were prohibited from loading the actual goods being sold.
“Sa pagkakaron, sa first day of the joint road clearing operations for the month of May, ginabawalan usa nato ang atong team sa pag-karga sa ilahang baligya as much as possible. Pero first day pa lang ni. Naa ta’y mga joint road clearing operations sa third week ug fourth week. So daghan na siya. So sa sunod gani, nga ibalik pa nila ang ilahang mga paninda diha sa kalsada, dili lang ang ginabutangan sa ilang paninda atong kuhaon, pati na gyud ang ilahang paninda ( For now, on this first day of the joint road clearing operations for the month of May, we have prohibited our team from loading their goods as much as possible. But this is just the first day. We have joint road clearing operations in the third, and fourth weeks, so there will be many. Next time, if they return their goods to the road, we will not only take the items they use for their display but also their actual goods),” he said.
Bermejo clarified that vendors are not allowed on the road. They may only line up and display their commodities along the white line on the road.
“Pag-drop sa gutter, mga kuan pa na siya, one and a half feet lang na siya. So dili sila molampas ana nga muabot na sila sa yellow box, dili gihapon na pwede bisan pa gi-allow sila og mag-laray og 4 pm to 7 am the following day (Once they drop to the gutter, that’s already about one and a half feet. So they should not go beyond that and reach the yellow box. That is not allowed, even if they are permitted to line up from 4 pm to 7 am the following day),” Bermejo explained.
He added that the road clearing operations are not meant to prohibit vendors from selling, since this is often their primary source of income, but rather to remind them that roads and thoroughfares are shared spaces for pedestrians and motorists. Going beyond the approved space may cause accidents or disrupt traffic flow. Vendors may continue their livelihoods within the allowed area. CIO
