Treñas opens sidewalks to more than 1,000 vendors

Its open sidewalk season to more than 1,000 sidewalk vendors here starting Monday, December 7, 2009 as a yearly accommodation to vendors to sell their wares during the Christmas season.

City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said the sidewalks along Calle Real notably the JM Basa and Iznart streets and areas surrounding all city plazas will be open to the vendors with no payment to the city government.

“We are doing this for the past eight and a half years during my administration as our Christmas gift to the vendors to make additional income during the season,” Treñas said.

Community assistance officer Zellah Gil will be incharge of giving the space allotment to sidewalk vendors so as to ensure order and avoid chaos. However, vendors must be residents of this city and not from other provinces, the city mayor said.

On the other hand, Treñas also enjoined barangay residents to put up their Christmas lanterns and Christmas trees to show the Christmas spirit being celebrated here.

The city mayor observed that only few residents put up Christmas lanterns as of early December and few barangays remembered to put up their Christmas trees for their own constituents to enjoy.

Also, on December 7, an initial 100 houses will be turned over by the Habitat for Humanity to 100 recipient families at the San Isidro relocation site in Jaro district.

The initial number of houses is part of the 500 units to be constructed at the site funded by the national government through the Department of Social Services and Development and the Housing Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) headed by Vice President Noli de Castro.

Treñas said that aside from the Habitat project, construction is ongoing for a total of 1,500 units initiated by Gawad Kalinga and another 200 units from the CLIFF. The Spanish and Italian governments also assured to fund the construction of several housing units at the relocation site.

By Lydia C. Pendon