With rent prices continuously increasing, countless vendors have taken to the streets and sidewalks to make a living and sell all sorts of goods, from clothing and footwear to food and drinks. However, in most cities, setting up shop on sidewalks is prohibited, and violators can be fined or even arrested. In one viral video, a street vendor had all his wares confiscated, and the internet is torn about it.

The viral video

On Facebook, netizen Kylie Cutara Saligo posted a video of a street vendor trying to resist the confiscation of his products. His efforts, however, were to no avail, as the local demolition team loaded his merchandise onto their truck, leaving the vendor in tears. This event happened in the Agdao Public Market in Davao City.

As of writing, the original Facebook video has garnered over 6.1 million views, 77,000 reactions, 68,000 shares, and 3,000 comments. On X (formerly Twitter), a repost of the same video has gotten over 4.3 million views, 13,000 likes, and 5,800 retweets.

Netizens react

With the video going viral, netizens chimed in with their comments, though opinions are largely divided.

Some believe that while what happened is heartbreaking, the vendor should’ve known that he should not have sold his items there due to Davao’s city ordinance, even citing the Roman civil law maxim. “Sakit tan awon pero mao man ang balaud. Dura lex Sed Lex, the law is harsh, but it is still the law!!!” (“It’s painful to witness, but that is the law. Dura lex Sed lex, the law is harsh, but it is still the law!!!”)

“The demolition team are just doing their jobs,” another said.

Others, however, believe there could be another way of imposing the law. “An unjust law is no law at all,” one comment read, while another netizen asked the government to “review policy that is fair for all.”

On X (formerly Twitter), a netizen compared the incident to similar regulations that have been implemented in other countries. There, local authorities reportedly do not confiscate the goods, but instead, they wait for the street vendor to pack up and vacate the premises.

Local authorities respond

After the video went viral on social media, the Ancillary Services Unit (ASU) of Davao City’s local government unit (LGU) reiterated that selling on sidewalks is prohibited and products will be confiscated. The ASU is the LGU’s agency responsible for implementing this regulation.

According to ASU chief Paul Bermejo, vendors can get their merchandise back, “provided that they sign an affidavit of undertaking and pledge not to vend on sidewalks again.”

Bermejo added that the local authorities will be convening with vendors to discuss the viral video and further clearing operations. “We will also talk about our other plans of the clearing operations, as we still see many vendors do business in our sidewalks, even if ideally, they should not be there,” he said.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

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