MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada is encouraging shoppers to go to Divisoria Market to experience a hassle-free shopping this Yuletide.
Estrada said the public could expect decongested sidewalks and streets at the so-called shopping mecca of Manila as a result of the city government’s extensive road clearing operations during the past months.
“Our efforts have paid off. It is now more convenient to shop in Divisoria because we have removed all traffic-causing obstructions and eyesores. We have brought back order and discipline, especially on the part of the vendors,” Estrada said.
Estrada also announced he was not considering allowing the operation of the traditional night market along Recto Avenue from Abad Santos to Juan Luna streets this December to lessen the expected traffic congestion during the Christmas rush.
The Manila Night Market was Estrada’s idea in 2013 to continue giving opportunities to vendors who were displaced in the process of clearing out the sidewalks and streets during daytime.
Instead, Estrada said a night market limited to vegetable and wet goods vendors only would be put up along Recto Avenue between Juan Luna to Asuncion streets. This will be open from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“As much as I want to help the vendors earn extra income this Christmas, we cannot allow another big night market in Divisoria. This will only cause more traffic and chaos,” Estrada said.
Che Borromeo, head of Task Force Manila that leads the road clearing campaign, said the city government deemed it wise to limit the operation of night market this Christmas because it would be harder to drive away illegal vendors come January.
“We cannot bring back what was being done in the past. A lot of vendors are pleading if they could still sell during Christmas season. However, the Mayor does not want,” Borromeo said.
“We are doing this so they would be used to this. Because if we allow this again, this would be difficult to fix on January,” he added.
Compared during the previous years, Borromeo said Divisoria Market had improved a lot — there were no illegal vendors, illegal terminals, and other obstructions, even side streets have been cleared, resulting in lesser traffic jams.
“Streets are now free from traffic. (People) could move around and not have a hard time. There are more people now going here,” Borromeo said.
He stressed many vendors were elated because sales had gone up since the past weeks; this is so because Divisoria has again attracted more shoppers because of the cleared and traffic-free roads.
Even bargain shopping malls like 168, Tutuban Center Mall, Lucky Chinatown, and others are enjoying the surge of shoppers this early, according to Borromeo.
Since June, Estrada has intensified the city government’s road and sidewalk clearing operations, driving away more than 3,500 illegal vendors and removing countless number of obstructions and illegal structures.