■ WITH 72-HOUR TRO, CEBU CITY OFFICIALS CAN'T TOUCH SM SEASIDE YET
SM Seaside City and its stores cannot be ordered closed, at least in the next 72 hours. Executive Judge Gilbert Moises granted yesterday SM Prime Holdings Inc.’s application for a 72-hour temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction and status quo ante. The order prevents Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña from shutting down the mall at the South Road Properties. City officials refused to accept SM’s and its tenants’ application for the renewal of its business permits, locational clearance and permit to operate its elevators and escalators due to its alleged violations of the National Building Code and its alleged underpayment of taxes.
Some informal vendors became emotional as personnel of the Mandaue City Government demolished their structures along the roads in the city core yesterday morning.
"Gidaug-daog mi sa mga dato... Among utang unsaon na lang (The rich people are oppressing us. Now, how can we pay our debts?)," said 52-year-old Juana (not her real name).
She was weeping while she was with her co-vendors on Ceniza St. where their stalls used to be located.
"If only I could talk to the President, I would tell him everything. The government took away our main source of income," Juana said in Cebuano.
Juana was among the 550 to 600 informal vendors whose structures on Ceniza, Gomez and P. Burgos Streets were dismantled yesterday morning.
About 80 personnel from the City Legal Office, Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue, Special Weapons and Tactics, police and barangay tanods helped with the operation.
This followed after legitimate vendors informed City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing how their income and sales were affected by the presence of ambulant vendors.
The mayor earlier said these informal vendors earned more than legitimate vendors because they did not pay taxes and business permits.
Also, sales of formal vendors were affected when they moved at the back of the city sports complex near the market building, which was damaged by the earthquake in 2013, as tricycles and jeepneys rarely transport passengers there.
The city has 1,500 legitimate vendors.
City Legal Officer Omar Redula said the demolition went well.
"It was a good practice, but we were overprepared. We tried to cover all areas of concern. But it turned out we didn't need the police. We didn't need the Swat (because everything was smoothly done)," Redula said.
Redula said the City might help them coordinate with the lot owner.
The mayor promised that the City will find a way to legalize them as vendors.
"This is part of a wider effort to return the pavements and sidewalks to the pedestrians for their safety. Given the traffic problem, the City is currently facing, we can no longer afford to close down roads or allow any more hindrances," said Quisumbing.
The City Government had asked ambulant vendors to dismantle their stalls last November, but they asked the mayor to allow them to stay until January.
He granted their request.