By Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA
BACOLOD CITY — The city government assisted flower vendors here in moving from the Bacolod Public Plaza to the Reclamation Area to give way to the further beautification of the plaza.
After a series of negotiations, the 18 members of the Bacolod Flower Vendors’ Association, headed by Glen Amar, were able to set up their stalls along Fr. M. Ferrero St. behind the Bacolod Arts, Youth and Sports (BAYS) Center on Monday afternoon.
Amar said he and his fellow vendors are grateful that the city government has provided them a new location after allowing them – and their parents before them – to occupy a section of the plaza for about five decades.
He noted that for now, the new stalls have been provided to them for free.
“The city spent for the construction of the stalls. We put the partitions ourselves,” Amar said.
Previously, the flower vendors donated a certain amount to the Diocese of Bacolod for occupying a space on the Rizal St. portion of the plaza, which belongs to the Catholic Church under a usufruct agreement.
Amar said that once the city government decides, they would be willing to pay rent.
For now, he said, they also need canopies to protect the flowers from the sun, especially between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Executive Assistant Ernesto Pineda of the Office of the Sectoral Concerns said the fund for the construction of the stalls was sourced from the “other expenses” allocation of the City Engineer’s Office.
He said the flower vendors themselves demolished their old stalls at the plaza to prepare for their transfer, and they also applied for power and water supply connections.
Pineda noted that although the vendors did not pay fees to the city government in the past, they are now willing to secure business permits and obtain official receipts registered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
“This way, they can also transact with private companies and government agencies,” he added.
Bacolod’s flower vendors source the bulk of their supply from Baguio City and Cebu province. Some flowers come from Barangay Minoyan in Murcia, Negros Occidental.
