The Narratives of Street Vendors: A Case
In fact, in
Study on Street Vending in Ormoc City,
Philippines
Phoenex Daffon, Tripon Sanico, Stephanie Claire
Vinculado
Introduction
One of economics' most well-known
principles deals with demand and supply. In
a free market, prices are established by their
interaction. If demand exceeds supply under
certain circumstances, the immediate result is
a shortage, which drives prices higher. These
conditions encourage profit seekers to fill the
gap and produce the necessary items, thereby
fixing the market flaw. Conversely, if supply
exceeds demand, a surplus exists and prices
fall. These unseen market forces apply even
in the workforce. Massive unemployment
happens if the quantity of potential workers
increases but demand remains steady, or
worse, regresses. [1]
In the Philippines, the unemployment
rate has remained high because of rapid
population growth and increased labor force
participation. This situation compelled
people to join the informal sector – a segment
of a country's economy that is not recognized
as a normal source of income – to survive in
a competitive world. It includes street
vendors, market vendors, tricycle and
pedicab drivers, small construction workers,
and home-based industries and services.
Certainly, the informal sector plays a major
role in job creation, income generation, and
production. [2]
One of the most accessible ways for
the unemployed to earn money is through
street vending: the selling of things to the
general public without having a permanent
built-up structure from which to do so, as it
requires minor capital, no training, no
license, and, most significantly, the street
becomes their largest field.
Malazarte’s research, it was discovered that
street vending has a crucial part in the
socioeconomic lives of street vendors in
Cebu City. Some of the benefits of street
vending include payment of rent and
household expenses, education of their
children, and earning extra money for their
family. [3]
The other side of the coin, however,
reveals that street vending has its fair share of
significant disadvantages. According to
Vupru and Choppy, social insecurity, health
issues, economic and working instability,
discrimination, a lack of knowledge about
legal rights etc. are the key issues met by the
street vendors. [4]
In Ormoc City, street vendors are
regarded by some pedestrians as “threats” to
the city’s aesthetics and “nuisances” to the
walkway spaces of the city. Sidewalks in
Ormoc City, have lost their sense from the
standpoint of the pedestrians. Apparently,
sidewalks should be an entrance point for
individuals who sought to save time and
avoid road traffic by walking. Instead, the
sidewalks were turned into a makeshift
market. Pedestrians are forced to walk
sideways or walk on the road, exposing
themselves to greater danger and adding to
traffic jam.
Moreover, several researchers
determined that street vendors work in
difficult environments and confront daily
impositions from all sides, including
pedestrians, civic authorities’, and money
lenders. But despite this, not many academic
studies have focused on addressing the
discrimination that vendors receive due to the
informality of their employment. Hence, this
paper will attempt to understand the
vulnerabilities of street vendors in Ormoc
City, particularly with their status of
conducting an unauthorized business. This
paper will further examine the following: (i)
experiences of discrimination and; (ii)
policies and regulations of the LGU.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study will use random sampling
selection wherein each member of the
population is given an equal opportunity to
become part of the sample. It is the simplest
form of probability sampling which is done
using lottery or raffle method of determining
the representative sample. It uses individual
interviews for target participants: street
vendors, to get a comprehensive summary of
their difficulties, sentimentalities, and
struggles in street vending. Additionally, a
schedule of interviews is being created for the
employees of the Local Government Unit
who occupy the positions of Administrative
Aide 1 Procurement/Purchasing,
Administrative Aide 1-Record and Property,
and Administrative Aide 1 Cleanliness and
Sanitation Officer. The key informants'
information will be recorded and organized
so that it will be presented in the most
pertinent way possible. The desired number
of respondents in this study is 60 street
vendors from the Ormoc City Public Market
at Ebony St., District 2, Ormoc, 6541 Leyte,
as well as three (3) LGU employees will
participate in this survey as respondents.
Research Locale
The study shall be conducted within the city
of Ormoc, specifically within the vicinity of
Ormoc City Plaza and Ormoc City Public
Market located at Ebony St., District 2,
Ormoc, 6541 Leyte.
Research Instrument
The population of the study include 60
street vendors. The selection will follow no
statistical method since the Local
Government Unit where such respondents
belong has no data pertaining to their exact
number. Instead, the researchers will visit the
sites where these vendors normally conduct
their trade. In line with this, an unstructured
interview will be used to know the relevant
experiences of the participants at the Ormoc
City Plaza Ormoc City Public Market.
Additionally, concerned LGU personnel who
occupy the positions of AA1
Procurement/Purchasing, AA1-Record and
Property and AA1 Cleanliness and Sanitation
Officer will also be asked about the current
implementations in their area of
responsibility.
Gathering Data
In order to conduct their research and
gather information about street vending in
Ormoc City Plaza and Ormoc City Public
Market at Ebony St., District 2, Ormoc, 6541
Leyte, the researchers of this study will
prepare a letter of consent to be given to the
LGU Personnel. The research adviser will
verify and approve the letter of consent in
advance. The researchers will only proceed
with conducting their interviews if all sides
agree to the schedule and accept the letter of
consent that has been submitted to them. To
gather information about how street vending
functions in Ormoc City Public Market, the
researchers will then visit the offices of the
LGU employees who hold the positions of
AA1 Procurement/Purchasing, handled by
Mrs. Marites M. Laguitan, AA1- Record and
Property, handled by Mrs. Evelyn Escape,
and AA1 Cleanliness and Sanitation Officer,
handled by Mr. Romeo Daffon. These offices
are located at Ebony St., District 2, Ormoc,
6541 Leyte. The three (3) concerned LGU
personnel as well as the desired 60 street
vendors who are selected through random
sampling are the participants of the study.
There will be two types of respondents used
in this study. The first category includes
street vendors, who can be either men or
women. The total desired number of
respondents within this category is 60. The
respondents will be interviewed individually.
The second group will be made up of three
(3) LGU personnel who are in charge of the
public market in Ormoc City. The researchers
decide to interview three (3) employees to
fully analyze and get the data needed
regarding the conditions of the street vendors.
They will be interviewed to provide a better
understanding of the subject matter according
to the mandates of their office. Thus, the data
that the researchers will gather will allow
them to provide a detailed description of the
dynamics and conditions of the street vendors
in Ormoc City Plaza and Ormoc City Public
Market at Ebony St., District 2, Ormoc, 6541
Leyte.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Nature of Street Vending
Republic Act 8425 (1997), commonly
known as the Social Reform and Poverty
Alleviation Act, defined "Workers in the
informal sector” as poor individuals who
operate businesses that are very small in scale
and are not registered with any national
government agency, and to the workers in
such enterprises who sell their services in
exchange for subsistence level wages or other
forms of compensation. [5]
According to Sekar, street vendors
constitute a significant component of the
informal sector who rely on vending for a
living. They have flexible vending hours,
which ensures the city's economic viability
and dynamism. It also generates
employment, which alleviates the difficulties
associated with occupation. [6]
Locational Decisions of Street Vendors
Yankson's research discovered that a
number of factors influenced the operators'
choice of sites. Customers' attraction was
regarded as the most influential aspect in site
selection. This was followed by the
unavailability of a suitable alternate location
and the availability of an access road. The site
assigned by the municipal administration was
the least crucial. [7]
Suharto's study in Indonesia's
Bandung Metropolitan Region demonstrated
that, while street vendors were found in a
variety of locales, their locations consistently
represented their reliance on economic
activity located on, or influenced by, the
street. [8] Dewar and Watson (1990)
emphasized the sensitivity of market
locations to pedestrian traffic concentrations,
and they advocate an intervention policy that
recognizes that markets work best around
public transportation terminals, commercial
districts, or other regions with substantial
pedestrian flows. [9]
Issues Concerning the Informal Vendors
and the use of Streets
There are now two significant
complications. The first is how the presence
of street vendors affects traffic flow and
pedestrian mobility. The flow of vehicles and
pedestrians is slowed down, if not completely
obstructed, by certain unorganized hawkers
who occupy the roadways. Another key
problem is poor environmental sanitation,
mostly arising from littering of the streets and
throwing away of garbage in open drains. [10]
Street Vending in the Philippines
A study by Mahar Mangahas found
that 70% of the informal sectors of the
economy in the Philippines are engaged in
curbside vending and selling, 50% operate
variety stores, and 25% sell raw and cooked
food. [11]
Furthermore, Bhowmik discovered in
his research that in nearly all Asian countries,
including the Philippines, street vendors have
no legal standing to conduct their business
and are regularly hounded by the police
authorities. Nonetheless, they are popular
because they provide much-needed services
to the urban population that neither
municipalities nor larger retailing
establishments can supply. [12]
A qualitative research on street
vendors in the Metro Manila region's
Caloocan city area revealed that despite the
prevalence of street sellers in urban areas,
people still struggle with a number of related
problems. Three issues facing street sellers
were discussed in this study: physical and
spatial issues, socioeconomic issues, and
legal issues. Concerns about sellers slowing
down traffic and pedestrian movement
through the streets were raised in relation to
spatial difficulties. [13]
Legal Basis and Policies in Relation to
Street Vending
i. International
India is the first nation to
adopt progressive, centralized
legislation relating to street
vending. Several protections for
livelihood, social security, and
human rights are included in the
bill. It is a significant step toward
ensuring that street vendors are
taken into account and
represented in urban planning
processes and that they are
recognized as significant
contributors to the urban
economy. [14]
ii. Local
Senator Santiago wrote
Senate Bill No. 1757, better
known as the Clear Sidewalks Act
of 2009. The goal of the
aforementioned bill is to ensure
that sidewalks are free of
unauthorized commercial or
personal use in order to allow the
smooth passage of people and to
remove obstacles to vehicular
flow. [15]
Ordinance No. 45 Series of
2007, also known as an Ordinance
Requiring the Registration of
Hawkers and Providing for the
Regularization Thereof and Other
Purposes, was passed in the City
of Taguig in 2007 and was
approved by the City
Council. Hawkers, as defined by
the Bill, are traders who sell their
products on streets, sidewalks,
and other public spaces. The
purpose of this ordinance is to
combat poverty and to improve
the citizens' quality of lif. The
legislation recognizes hawkers as
an essential factor of the City's
economy, producing their own
job, providing affordable items to
a large number of consumers,
assisting in the increase of local
investments, and having the
ability to contribute significantly
to local government budgets. [16]
References
[5] (1997, December 11). Retrieved
from The Lawphil Project:
https://lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra
1997/ra_8425_1997.html
[14] (2012). Retrieved from PRS
Legislative Research:
https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-
street-vendors-protection-of-
livelihood-and-regulation-of-street-
vending-bill-2012
[12] Bhowmik, S. (2005). Street Vendors
in Asia: A Review. Economic and
Political Weekly.
doi:10.2307/4416705
[16] de Mesa, B. V. (2009, February 26).
AN ORDINANCE REQUIRING
THE REGISTRATION OF
HAWKERS AND PROVIDING
FOR THE REGULATION
THEREOF AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES. Taguig , Philippines.
[9] Dewar, D., & Watson, V. (1990).
Urban Markets: Developing
Informal Retailing. London:
Routledge.
doi:https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351
049870
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