Obstructions Galore in Metro Manila Sidewalks

Many sidewalks in Metro Manila should not be called “sidewalks” anymore. Yes, they’re still on the side of the street (where else can they be), but they’re not suited for walking anymore, what with all the obstructions erected all over.

Perhaps, the sidewalks should now be called “side-obstructions.”

Four office workers (background) check the foodstuffs being sold by three vendors (foreground) in the middle of a sidewalk in Manila.

Stalls of sidewalk vendors, shoe-shine boys, watch repair men, and other sidewalk workers continue to encroach on many sidewalks in the Philippine capital despite on and off efforts by local authorities to shoo them away.

Some tricycle drivers also use the sidewalks as their terminals.

In impoverished areas of the metropolis, residents use the sidewalks as their bathrooms, washrooms, kitchens, and even their living rooms. They wash their clothes, hang their clothes, strip themselves half naked to take a bath, and do other house chores on the sidewalks in full view of their neighbors and passersby.

A woman washes clothes on top of a bridge in Manila.

These residents also dump their garbage on the sidewalks. Some put up pens for their animals, or simply allow their animals such as dogs and cocks to roam around freely.

In other areas of the metropolis, some residents use the sidewalks to store junks and other recyclable materials. Others use them to store construction materials.

Some residents put up basketball courts right in the middle of the street!

Other people also use the sidewalks as their own garage while some enterprising traders use them as extension of their car-wash and auto-repair businesses.

Some people even use the sidewalk to conduct “religious” activities while others use them to hold wakes for the dead, placing the coffin in the middle of the pavement with four candle stands around it and a noisy bunch of supposed “mourners” playing “tong-its,” sometimes on top of the coffin itself. Now, how can pedestrians walk freely on the sidewalks when their path is blocked by a coffin?

For instance, along Jorge Bocobo Street in Ermita, Manila, the sidewalks on both sides of the street are completely closed to pedestrians. Vending stalls with big colorful umbrellas block the sidewalks. The village office also occupies part of the sidewalk.

Tricycles and other vehicles are also parked along the street near the sidewalks, presumably owned by the village officials and their authorized illegal vendors.

A basketball court also occupies part of the street, which is closed to traffic without notice every time residents in the area decide to play basketball.

Further on towards Adriatico Street, another village office occupies the sidewalk besides the Midland Plaza building.

Going towards Quirino Avenue, another village office blocks the sidewalk, complete with an eye-striking red tent surrounded by flower pets. The village headquarters blocks half of Adriatico Street on the right side, causing traffic chaos in the area during peak hours for motorists going to Quirino Avenue in the direction of Manila Zoo and Harrison Plaza.

As motorists head to Quirino Avenue, they are again subjected to harassment and annoyance by a bunch of beggars as young as five years old who roam the streets. The beggars would knock at the window of your car and if you ignore them, they would scratch the exterior of your car with metallic objects and even curse at you.

Turning left towards Remedios Street in the direction of the Remedios Circle in Malate, motorists would be greeted by the sight of a car-wash shop, sari-sari store, vending stalls, and eateries occupying the sidewalk.

These are just a few of the sidewalks and streets in the metropolis that continue to be illegally occupied by unscrupulous individuals, including village officials who have set up their offices and other structures in the guise of sponsoring livelihood projects for their constituents.

In other areas in Manila, motorized and pedal-driven tricycles use vital spaces of city streets as their own illegal terminals, again courtesy of some village officials.
Makati City is another city where vendors are allowed by the village authorities to set up their trade in the city’s sidewalks.

Almost all of Metro Manila’s sidewalks are now illegally occupied by vendors who have been allowed to illegally engage in retail trade by their village officials in the name of village livelihood projects.

In bold letters printed along concrete walls, village officials even have the temerity to print their names declaring their support for the vendors illegally occupying the city’s sidewalks and streets.

Except in the discipline zones put up by Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Geary Barias, many areas of the metropolis have now been invaded by legions of illegal vendors.