City can't accommodate 3k night market vendors

Davao City Assistant Administrator on operations lawyer Lawrence Bantiding said the city cannot accommodate all the 3,000 vendors who intend to sell at the Roxas night market this year.

In an interview with SunStar Davao yesterday, January 14, 2019, Bantiding said the vendors will be reshuffled tentatively in February or March for the April to June shift with only 470 tenants to be accommodated.

He also said that there will be 130 tenants allowed for accessories area, 130 for the ready-towear clothes (RTWs), 116 food vendors, and more than a hundred massage therapists in every three-month shift.

“Nitaas ang stretch but niubos ang number sa vendors kay nibutang man ta og alley sa tunga nga dako-dako pud na agianan sa mga tao (The Roxas night market stretch got longer but the number of vendors decreased because we have put an alley for the goers),” Bantiding said, adding that the two by three (2x3) front section is currently three by three (3x3) since there have been complaints that the area is too narrow for the goers and the vendors.

The changes at the Roxas night market is aimed for the safety and security of the average 3,000 goers a day.

Meanwhile, Bantiding said that the decrease in the number of vendors is aimed at decongesting the area especially during peak seasons, thus, sidewalk vendors are not allowed anymore in the area.

The office of the Assistant Administrator has no plans yet to increase the length of the Roxas night market or even assign or establish a street for such to cater to the bulk of selling applications.

Bantiding also assured that the vendors have gone through seminars, orientation, and constant sanitation inspection. /