Parañaque clears Baclaran roads of street vendors for ASEAN Summit

LOOK, NO VENDORS. Redemptorist Road in Parañaque City is clear of street vendors on November 10, 2026, just days before the 49th ASEAN Summit to be held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com

The Parañaque City government clarifies that vendors will be allowed to return after the summit, provided they maintain an orderly setup

AT A GLANCE

• The Parañaque City government has temporarily prohibited street vendors from operating around Baclaran Church from November 2 to 20 in preparation for the ASEAN Summit.
• Affected vendors, like Malyn Antonio, are struggling financially due to the ban, with some expressing concerns about their livelihoods.
• In addition to the vendor restrictions, city officials have also towed electric tricycles operating on national roads and are making improvements to the area surrounding Baclaran Church.

This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors.

MANILA, Philippines – The Parañaque City government has cleared roads surrounding Baclaran Church of street vendors as the Philippines hosts the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit.

In a statement released on Sunday, November 8, the city government said street vendors are “temporarily prohibited” from operating along Roxas Boulevard and its service roads, from Redemptorist Road to Quirino Avenue, as well as the road beneath the Light Rail Transit (LRT) line. The restriction is in effect from November 2 to 20.

“Pansamantala lamang na ipinagbabawal ang ambulant vendors sa mga lugar na saklaw ng clearing. Kinausap sila at humingi kami ng paumanhin at pag-unawa bago pa sinimulan ito,” the city government said.

(The ban on ambulant vendors in areas covered by the clearing operations is only temporary. We spoke with the vendors and apologized, asking for their understanding before the operations began.)

The city government clarified that vendors would be allowed to return after the summit, provided they maintain an orderly setup.

The local government is also planning to relocate the vendors to the Baclaran Gateway Market, near the water channel across Redemptorist Church. The structure, still under construction, is intended to serve as their permanent area for selling goods.

Vendors’ plight

Some vendors, however, are already struggling to make ends meet after being barred from selling along Baclaran’s streets.

Malyn Antonio, a single mother of three, said she continues to sell tempered glass phone screen protectors in Baclaran despite the prohibition. But business has been slow. After working from noon to midnight, she earned only P130.

Her earnings were not even enough to provide one of her children with school allowance, forcing the child to miss classes.

“Nakakaawa na pumasok tapos nakikita niya ‘yung mga estudyante na kumakain, nagre-recess siya wala,” Antonio said. (It’s heartbreaking for her to come to school and see other students eating during recess when she has nothing.)

The city government said affected vendors would receive financial assistance.

Antonio hopes the assistance will be sufficient and distributed soon.

Another affected vendor, Norania Balayo, criticized the government’s decision to drive vendors away from the streets.

“Ang gobyerno natin ngayon mapagkunwari na walang mahirap sa Pilipinas. Dapat kung ano mayroon sa Pilipinas, pinapakita nila sa taong bayan [o] ibang nasyon,” Balayo said.

(Our government today is pretending that there are no poor people in the Philippines. They should show the public and other nations the realities of life in the country.)

E-trikes towed

On Tuesday, November 10, city officials also towed around 50 electric tricycles (e-trikes) plying Roxas Boulevard.

Under the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s Memorandum Circular No. 4, Series of 2024, e-trikes are prohibited from using national roads, including Roxas Boulevard.

City officials told reporters that owners can reclaim their impounded e-trikes after the ASEAN Summit.

Meanwhile, workers from the city engineering office were also seen repainting the walls surrounding Baclaran Church.