Morayta vendors re-opened their stalls and renamed their establishments “happy lane” despite being ordered closed by the Manila Sanitation Division (MSD) early this month.
Task Force Manila Cleanup (TFMC) chief Che Borromeo said the Manila Department of Public Services and Manila Police District led the confiscation of three re-opened stalls and disposal of food being sold.
In a surprise inspection two weeks ago, MSD found that the stalls had no business, sanitary, and health permits, so they were recommended to be closed.
“Sa ordinansa, sa batas, sa sanitary code, bawal sila, (Under the ordinance, the law, the sanitary code, they are prohibited [from operating]),” Borromeo said. “Habang wala silang permit, di sila papayagan. (While they have yet to secure permits, they won’t be allowed there.)”
Chapter III Section 14 of the Presidential Decree No. 856 or the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines provides that “no person or entity shall operate a food establishment for public patronage without securing a permit from the local health office.”
Section 15, meanwhile, says that “[n]o person shall be employed in any food establishment without a Health Certificate issued by the local health authority.” The certificate will be issued “only after the required physical and medical examinations are performed and immunizations are administered at prescribed intervals.”
Dubbed “hepa lane,” the stretch of R. Papa in Morayta is a go-to place for students looking for affordable meals at the university-belt.
Morayta Vendors Association vice president Ernie Mineque defended their move, saying that it is their right to sell and that they needed to earn a living.
“Karapatin namin magtinda. Natural magtinda kami, kasi magugutom yung pamilya namin. Dalawang linggo na kaming di nakakapagtinda kaya napagdesisyunan namin na bumalik, (It is our right to sell. Of course we will sell because our family will be hungry. It has been two weeks since we were closed so we decided to go back),” Mineque, who has been a vendor at hepa lane for the past 25 years, said.
He also admitted that they have not secured permits from the city hall.
“Sinasabihin kami na kumuha raw ng permit, ng health, sa sanitation. Binabalewala din naman kami kasi di naman kami makakuha kasi pagkain daw namin nasa kalsada, nasa sidewalk, (We were told to secure permits but they are not giving us attention because they said we won’t be granted permits because our food is on the streets, on the sidewalk),” he said.
Kyle Atienza of the Far Eastern University’s Alliance of Concerned Students was one of those who helped vendors secure their carts.
“May mga estudyate tayo na tumulong para pigilan yung paggiba sa mga stalls at pigilan ‘yung pagtapon sa mga pagkain na gusto nilang isalba. Pero wala po silang naisalba lahat po naitapon bukod dun sa isang tray ng hotdog, (“There are students who tried to help stop the demolition of stalls and disposal of food, but we were not able to stop them. We were not able to save anything aside from a tray of hotdog,)” Atienza said.
He added that he has been a regular customer of “hepa lane” for the past three years and he has not encountered a health problem.
“Ito ‘yung pinagkukunan ng affordable at nakasasapat na pagkain ng mga estudyante, (This is where students get affordable and filling food),” he explained.
Secure permits
Borromeo, however, explained that he tried to talk to the vendors and appealed to them to close down their stalls and go to the city hall to secure permits, but they did not listen so they were forced to clear the area.
He added that he cannot just let the vendors go back to business because they are protesting.
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