Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday warned thousands of vendors to be wary of criminal syndicate-backed militant organizations that incite them to rally against the road clearing operations in the city.
Estrada revealed reports that unscrupulous groups are organizing street protests to derail the ongoing campaign against illegal vendors.
“Don’t be influenced by these groups. Think about the general welfare of the Manileños who are losing time and money because of traffic jams and anarchy in our streets. They are the very same people who patronize you and give you livelihood,” he added.
Estrada said there have been reports that a purported militant group is going around offering money to vendors to join a street protest they were supposed to hold last Monday.
The protest rally, however, did not push through because no one joined.
“These extortionists and syndicates who earn money by demanding ‘protection fees’ from illegal vendors are feeling the heat of our street clearing operations. It is no surprising that they are attempting to make this desperate move to break our momentum,” Estrada pointed out.
Earlier, vegetable truckers from Benguet personally complained to Estrada that they shell out P80 a day for a bogus “business permit” and P300 “intelligence fee,” aside from the weekly P2,800 fee, to a group of individuals operating in Recto Avenue in Divisoria.
The mayor remained firm that he will not back down from his road clearing campaign, which he said is “just and lawful,” despite several issues being raised against it by several militant organizations.
Estrada said the previous administrations have tolerated illegal vendors and operators of illegal transport terminals to the point that it has become a peace and order concern.
Even the Supreme Court, in a 1992 ruling on the case of one Francisco Dacanay versus then Caloocan Mayor Macario Asistio, ruled that a public street is a property for public use, “hence outside the commerce of man,” the Manila chief executive pointed out.
“Progress will not come if we continue to allow anarchy in the streets. Sidewalk vendors do not even pay taxes. I’m only balancing the rights of the law-abiding, tax-paying legitimate business owners and the poor sidewalk vendors,” Estrada stressed.