War Between FCC, Vendors Continues
Monday, January 18, 2016
Last week the vendors stormed this publication’s offices saying that the council has told them to dismantle their structures of trade, otherwise it will destroy them.
The vendors told Business Monitor that they see the move by FCC as another strategy to permanently move them from their places of trade while in the process subjecting them to a life of poverty. In 2013, FCC informed all vendors not to build permanent structures at the places they trade, as it was illegal to do so.
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...