The Baguio City Police Office and the Public Order and Safety Division of the City Mayor’s Office have teamed up to contain the problem on mushrooming illegal vendors taking advantage of the Christmas season.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong advised the BCPO headed by Col. Francis Bulwayan, Jr. and POSD Head Enforcer Daryll Longid to carry on with their initiative to deal with the proliferation of illegal peddlers this Christmas season.
Longid said reports coming from the POSD personnel, barangay officials, park security guards and concessionaires, event organizers, and affected vendors themselves affirmed that there is a significant increase of illegal activities.
He said the areas being reported are Burnham Park, which includes Rose Garden, Wright Park, Mansion House, Botanical Garden, Mines View Park, Session Road, Magsaysay Ave. O-shape, perimeter of Good Taste Otek, and perimeter of Igorot Park.
“While the increase is anticipated based on past experiences as prospective peddlers from outside Baguio city flock to the city to take advantage of the influx of tourists apart from the seasonal local peddlers adding to the fray, we observed that there are more of them this year as compared to the past years, making it much more challenging to manage them,” Longid said.
He said illegal masseurs at Burnham Park have also increased adding to the problem.
He said the POSD is doing its best manning the areas by shifts but still needs reinforcement from the BCPO.
Bulwayan said he had directed the concerned units and stations to intensify patrol activities in said areas under the office’s Opla Tambuli information drive.
“We are expecting new (police) graduates to be assigned here next week and we are planning to assign them to the Tourist Police Unit, Traffic Enforcement Unit and Station 7 to address peace and order concerns including illegal vending,” he said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
