THE new acting police chief of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) said there should be a ‘holistic approach’ in handling illegal vendors in the city.

 

City police chief Col. Dexter Paje emphasized this when asked by Councilor Enrico Salcedo about Paje’s one-month stint as head of a task force on anti-illegal vendors in Quezon City prior to his transfer to PNP-10 Regional Mobile Group in northern Mindanao in the early 2000s.

 

When Salcedo—who used to co-chair City Hall’s Night Market management committee prior to being elected to the City Council this year—asked if Quezon City’s problem with illegal vendors is more serious than that faced in Cogon market, Paje agreed. ‘(That problem in Cogon) can be solved (through a holistic approach),’ he said.

 

Citing his night market committee experience, Salcedo said they saw it was difficult to seek police cooperation in dealing with illegal vendors unless they ask for it through the City Economic Enterprise Business Development Administration (CEEBDA). Paje proposed that City Hall create a task force to deal with illegal vendors.

 

The presence of illegal vendors is seen to contribute to traffic congestion especially with the incoming holiday season. ‘A holistic approach with membership of other agencies (in City Hall) (is needed) to ensure smooth operations (in handling illegal vendors). Yes, we will extend our support (on this),’ Paje told Salcedo./Text by SC with CIO photos by Jomar Figuracion