Mayor Klarex crosses the tight rope

WHILE he understands the plight of sidewalk vendors, Mayor Klarex Uy has always been aware of his mandate to ensure ease of movement in the city.

He has repeatedly said that it is his aspiration for the poor to make a living.

“Sama kanato, naningkamot pod sila tungod kay pareha kanato. Aduna pod sila’y pangandot ug tinguha sa ilang kinabuhi,” Mayor Klarex said, explaining why he has been liberal to poor vendors ekking a living in the sidewalks, especially Cogon Market.

He recalled telling these poor vendors to follow traffic rules to ensure ease of movement around the markets.

“Apan sa maong kahigayonan nga akong gihatag, akong pagsabot ko kanila sa 4 ka bulan ug tunga, ang kahigayonan nga akong gihatag wala nila gi ampingi. Nakalapas ang mga vendors sa among kasabutan,” said the mayor.

Mayor Klarex Uy, however, believes that this problem is not solely the making of the poor vendors. He correctly observed that car-riding market buyers are also to blame.

“Makadugang pod ang mamalitay nga magdala og sakyanan ug muparking sa tungod sa ilang palitan,” Mayor Klarex said.

The issue of market vendors invading the streets is more complex than the problem of traffic.

Note that our public road is primarily used by vehicle owners, who comprise just around 2 percent of the population. Any inconvenience these entitled classes face, they blame and very noisily politicians. Good for them, they have a voice.

But what about those who cannot afford cars, the fixed-wage earners who would not mind walking a few blocks to Cogon or Carmen market?

Now the poor vendors have been put in their proper places. We ask, how about those officials who have rooted themselves in the public markets, the profiteers? It is ironic, while our public markets are touted as the centerpiece of the local government’s economic enterprise, for so long, these markets are still heavily subsidized by City Hall?

The core of the issue is poverty and the lack of economic opportunities. Poverty has been aggravated by the Covid 19 pandemic. The economic recovery plan, which is the core of the RISE CDO platform of governance of the Klarex administration hits the nail on the head.

It is a balance for the mayor who understands class differences in our unequal society. His decisiveness to address the problem with street vendors in our public markets concerns us all, not just them ― poor vendors.