BACOLOD CITY – The city government has announced that 31 qualified plaza vendors will each receive a brand-new cart worth PHP 15,000 to boost the livelihood and income opportunities of local micro-entrepreneurs.
The initiative, implemented by the City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office (CCLDO) under Brenda Burdeos, has a total budget of PHP 465,000 sourced from three percent of the cooperative fund under the city’s 20 percent development allocation for 2025.
Mayor Greg Gasataya emphasized that the carts represent more than just livelihood tools, symbolizing hard work, perseverance and the city’s community spirit.
This program reflects the city’s vision of empowering vendors and improving the quality of life for families who rely on honest work.
According to the CCLDO, the project seeks to create an organized vending system within the Bacolod Vendor’s Plaza, enhance vendor mobility and provide sustainable livelihood support.
The program aligns with City Ordinance No. 1009, which regulates and promotes vending in the city, and complements ongoing beautification efforts at the public plaza.
It was endorsed by Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Cooperative and Livelihood.
Each locally fabricated cart, measuring one meter by one meter and equipped with four wheels, will serve as a portable vending unit intended to promote orderliness, sanitation and improved business operations at the public plaza, based on the program of works.
The city has also conducted training sessions for vendors on topics such as psychosocial development, entrepreneurship, accounting, product making, packaging and business management to help beneficiaries sustain and grow their enterprises. (Dolly Yasa via tdg)