Bacolod mayor orders to regulate ambulant vendors
City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez has ordered the City Legal Office (CLO) to create an enforcement team to regulate the ambulant vendors in various areas in the city.
This, after a video of an elementary student in Bacolod City complaining about the fried chicken bought by his mother from one of the ambulant vendors seen with worms went viral on social media since Thursday.
Benitez, who admitted that there have been lapses in terms of the city’s sanitation inspections of the meat products, foods, and restaurants, said that they also want to regulate the ambulant vendors and make sure that everything is compliant with all the health requirements and protocols.
“We should be on top of this, there should be an enforcement team to address this issue, among others. We should make sure that the enforcement team is in place,” he said.
The mayor will also ask Councilor Celia Flor, chairperson of the City Council committee on markets, to pass an ordinance to regulate all the ambulant or street vendors.
Benitez said all the ammanagement bulant vendors should register since they are dealing with food or selling items that are consumed by the general public.
“So, they are not exempt from the requirements of the food establishment. All of them should comply with the requirements,” he said.
Benitez said the violators should be penalized by the enforcement team.
For her part, City Health Officer Ma. Carmela Gensoli said they are now investigating the incident to determine the name of the ambulant vendor.
She said it’s spoiled food and not good for consumption.
She added that they will also check all the ambulant vendors selling outside the schools to determine if they have a sanitation certificate.*