Without any warning, officials from the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety (DPOS) confiscated plants, signages, stalls, and other structures along Area 2 in a clearing operation yesterday noon.
The operation was conducted at the behest of Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs Roehl Jamon, said the Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte in an official statement today. Clearing operations were also conducted in Pook Dagohoy, Pook Palaris, and Area 1 yesterday.
A DPOS official previously told the Collegian that the operation was done following a city ordinance banning obstructions in the sidewalk. DPOS also said that a complaint was reportedly lodged with the Quezon City government in March, but only scheduled the clearing operation yesterday.
It is a practice in UP Diliman (UPD) that city officials coordinate first with the university administration when they plan to enter the campus. Yesterday, an official from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA) told the Collegian that they had no information about the operation.
Belmonte has since apologized for the operation, vowing to ensure that DPOS and other agencies act with “transparency, consultation, participation, the minimization of harm, and optimal outcomes” moving forward.
An Office of Community Relations (OCR) representative also claimed during a protest action by members of the UP community that the OVCCA had no knowledge of the clearing operation, vowing to help vendors pay the confiscation fee for their items.
“Imposible na nag-clearing ang city hall na walang approval ng UP. Kasi hindi rin gagalaw ang city hall. Unang una, may complainant dapat yan, tapos may coordination bago magawa ang trabaho. Kaya tingin ko, kinokontrol na nila nang maigi [ang commercialization],” Hermie Laroa, vice president of the UP Shopping Center Stallholders Association Inc., told the Collegian.
The clearing comes as vendors around the campus are increasingly displaced. Just last week, UP kiosks were ordered to remove tables outside their stalls, as reported by SINAG.
The controversial DiliMall is slated to partially open in August, without a clear plan for the displaced Shopping Center stall owners. Vendors fear that the clearing operation will displace them further from their livelihood.
For now, the vendors plan to meet this evening to form plans against reported clearing operations in the coming days. The OCR has also committed to attending the meeting and communicating with the OVCCA regarding the situation.
“Ang pwersa ng estudyante, ng faculty, ng kawani, ng miyembro ng komunidad, [nagkaisa] para igiit ang ating espasyo. Tayo ay magtatagumpay, at babalik dito bukas, sa isang araw, hanggang manalo tayo sa aing kampanya,” said Kristian Mendoza, University Student Council councilor. ●
With reports from Johnson Santos, Dean Amarillas, Rona Pizarro, Gie Rodenas, Sean Marcus Ingalla, Vyan David Abella, and Luis Lagman.
