Pangasinan 5th district Rep. Ramon Guico Jr. wants to clear sidewalks of street vendors in a bid to improve conditions for pedestrian foot traffic.

The lawmaker filed House Bill (HB) 1252, otherwise known as the “Unobstructed Sidewalks Act", last July 5.

“Public places then, such as sidewalks are not to be used for personal purposes. The country’s sidewalks, as has been evidence with our everyday experience of it, has become so crowded with stores and stalls either selling food or rendering various kinds of services. Furthermore, a number of people continue to use it for expanding their homes, homes for their pets, or storage for various materials, among other selfish reasons,” Guico said in his explanatory note.

“Consequently, pedestrians have no choice but to walk roadside, exposed to all kinds of road hazards. The end result is the exacerbation of the already dismal traffic situation and heightened risks of what could have been avoidable road accidents,” he continued.

Under Guico’s bill, the following acts would be considered prohibited and liable to legal penalty:

“Vending or selling food, magazines, newspapers, cigarettes, brooms, watches or jewelries, shoes and other footwear, and/or any other items; conduct of shoe-shine occupation;; doing house chores such as washing clothes, hanging clothes, and bathing; vehicle parking or repair; riding motorcycles, bicycles, and any other kind of vehicle; dumping garbage; setting up a basketball court or playing basketball; use of sidewalk to install animal pens or for keeping animals in chains; and storing softdrinks or wine or liquor bottles and cases.

To be banned also are drinking liquor and beverages and holding picnics or gatherings; storing of household appliances, furnitures, junk and recyclable; use of sidewalk for storage of construction materials for sale; house extension or stall/store extension including installation of roofs or awnings; installation of permanent or picket fence; use of sidewalks for unauthorized plants, trees, and plant boxes; putting up signs or signboards on or above sidewalks and detached from the business establishment; conducting religious activities like preaching and soliciting donations; holding a funeral and gambling during such; and other such activities that obstruct the free passage of people on sidewalks, unless otherwise authorized by law.

Section 5 of the bill further adds that those who wish to use the sidewalk temporarily must first secure a permit from a “licensing authority". Furthermore, permit would only be approved during community-wide special occasions or sales promotion days; and for civic or charitable purposes.

“The use of sidewalks and the displays or sale of merchandise under this section must be of a non-permanent nature and must be neat and orderly. A representative of the licensing authority shall be present to oversee such authorized temporary use of sidewalks,” HB 1252 read.

Persons caught violating the provisions of Guico’s bill may face fines ranging from P10,000 to P30,000, or even six months to one year of imprisonment.

Meanwhile, local government unit (LGU) officials who fail to enforce its provisions may also be penalized. For this, the lawmaker proposed fines ranging from P100,000 to P500,000.

Guico also mandates that the respective LGUs formulate organized vending programs for displaced vendors.