An urban planner commented in ANC that almost all of the plans for urban development in Metro Manila are geared towards the rich. Projects like the Fort Bonifacio Global City, the Manila Reclamation Project are government led/initiated with heavy participation of the private sector (i.e. big real estate companies). Not one project minds the needs of the poor. The anti-poverty agenda are merely palliative and promotes more dependency, not development.

There is a large urban poor population in Metro Manila. They are unquestionably part of our society. What are we going to do about it/them?

Kaya nga aayusin natin ang current set-up ng mga street vendors. Sa panahon ngayon na tag-hirap, it is better that the government help these people. Pangit ‘yung dole out system na patakaran ni Gloria. I think that giving them affordable but legitimate business is the key to lift the self esteem of these people.

Ang kalsada ay para lang ba talaga sa mga pedestrians at motorista. Let’s not be too strict on the use of the streets. Hindi naman lahat ng kalsada ay lalagyan ng mga street vending activities. Some parts of it lang.

Indeed, let’s mind the vendors. Promote legit entrepreneurship.

That’s precisely the reason we have to find ways to legitimize their operations: find areas where they indeed can vend whilst finding ways to ease traffic up at the same time.

Traffic is one of the factors that drags down the economy. Loss of man hours for people who got stucked in traffic and the tons of fuel lost from thousands of engines idling while waiting for the green light to go and for vendors and pedestrians to clear the already clog streets.

Ishmael’s proposals are actually nice. Whether the Middle Class cares or not is beside the point — this time, it’s much more advantageous to think of the situation in terms of politicos, e.g., a populist proposal such as Ishmael’s might actually be pogi-points for BF *and* Metro Manila LGUs. The model might even be applied elsewhere in the country.

A side-issue here is the fact, however, that vendors are illegal not because they are vending in the street, but because they are not registered businesses that pay taxes and do not issue receipts. Perhaps this could be addressed by a similar proposal?