QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte is batting for food parks for the city’s illegal vendors.
She said she wants to legitimize the livelihood of illegal vendors by putting up food parks that have become popular in the city and other areas in Metro Manila.
“The recurring problem of illegal vending would not be effectively dealt with if poor sidewalk vendors would not be provided with alternative sources of income, or at least a place where they can legally sell their goods,” Belmonte said.
“I want to make a program where we can ‘level up’ what they’re selling. Those selling street foods, for example, maybe we can put up food parks for them,” she added.
She cited the well-known food parks on in UP Village, The Yard on Xavierville Avenue, Box Park on Tandang Sora, and Pazar Food Park in North Fairview that continue to draw many customers.
“Most of food and beverage stores at food parks are usually small, start-up enterprises, so following this concept, we can try this in helping the sidewalk vendors,” she said.
Such could be done by coming up with a comprehensive program where illegal vendor are given sufficient assistance and training in business development and management, she added.
“We can identify places where all of them can sell whether street foods, etc. They can obtain certificate of sanitation, so they could draw tourists,” she noted.
Through the food park program, the Vice Mayor said the city government will be hitting two birds with one stone — to reduce traffic congestion and provide illegal vendors with better means of livelihood.
She said many people are hesitant to start small businesses due to lack of capital and know-how, thus the need to put up the proposed micro- and small-enterprise development council to cater to their needs and interests.