Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 273

Introduced by Representatives Bryan B. Revilla, Lani Mercado-Revilla, and Ramon Jolo
B. Revilla Ill

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA FOR AMBULANT VENDORS
EXPLANATORY NOTE

Section 3, Article XIII of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that the State shall
afford full protection to labor, local and overseas, organized and unorganized, and
promote full employment and equality of employment opportunities for all. This
recognizes that ordinary Filipino workers — both in the formal and informal sectors — are
the backbone of the economy. It is through their sheer hard work that our country can
achieve genuine economic progress.

Informal workers in the Philippines, particularly ambulant vendors or street vendors,
face challenges due to the lack of secure employment contracts, benefits, social
protection, and representation. The 2018 Informal Sector Survey reveals that the
informal sector employs 15.68 milion people in the Philippines, representing 38% of the
working population and contributing significantly to the economy. *

Despite such contributions, ambulant vendors, a vital part of the informal sector, operate
outside legal frameworks and face vulnerabilities due to absence of social protection.
Additionally, they frequently encounter challenges including the threat of eviction and
confiscation of goods, further destabilizing their livelihood. They also struggle with
insufficient capital leading to inadequate income. Sufficient government support will
alleviate their plight.

Thus, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive legislation to protect their rights and
enhance their social security. The proposed Magna Carta for Ambulant Vendors seeks
to address these issues by providing a legal framework that ensures their rights,
protection, and support mechanisms. This bill aims to recognize their contributions,
safeguard their livelihoods, and promote their welfare, thereby fostering a just and
inclusive economy.

In view of the foregoing, the expedient passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

"Philippine Institute for Development Studies (2023). Retrieved from:
hutps://www pids.gov.ph/details/news/in-the-news/informal-power-opinion-piece-by-george-royeca
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ie B. REVILLA REP. MERCADO-REVILLA

AGIMAT Party-list Represefital 2" District of Cavite

REP. RAMO! -O B. REVILLA Ill
Representative} 1" District of Cavite


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

‘TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No._273.

Introduced by Representatives Bryan B. Revilla, Lani Mercado-Revilla, and Ramon Jolo
B. Revilla Ill

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR THE MAGNA CARTA FOR AMBULANT VENDORS

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Magna Carta for
Informal Ambulant Vendors.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — Itis hereby declared the policy of the State to

(a) Recognize the significant contribution of informal ambulant vendors to the
economy, to protect and promote the rights of every worker including the right to
self-organization, just and humane conditions of work, access to social protection
programs and services, access to justice, and the right to security of and in the
workplace;

(b) Promote a just and dynamic social order that shall ensure the prosperity and
independence of the nation and free the people from poverty through policies that
provide adequate social services, promote decent and environmentally sound and full
employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all; and

(©) Improve the quality of life of every Filipino as mandated by the Constitution.

To this end, the State shall protect the informal ambulant vendors from being
deprived of their livelihood as well as the rights of consumers and the general public
from any negative effect that the vending industry may have on the environment and on
societal welfare and well-being

SEC. 3. Coverage. — This Act shall cover informal ambulant vendors who are
registered pursuant to this Act and not registered under any other law.

SEC. 4. Definition of Informal Ambulant Vendors. — Informal ambulant vendors
refer to individuals who sell goods or offer non-professional services without a fixed
business location, moving from place to place, typically using portable means like carts
or stands, and operate in public spaces, such as streets and parks: Provided, That an
individual who lends money or extends any means of financial services to any person,
whether occasionally or habitually, as a source of income or livelihood shall not be

deemed an ambulant vendor.
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SEC. 5. Registration of Informal Ambulant Vendors. — All informal ambulant
vendors shall register with the city, municipality, or barangay where they are vending or
intend to vend within the territorial jurisdiction of such city, municipality or barangay

The registration of informal ambulant vendors shall be simplified and shall not follow
the regular procedure in registering businesses and other commercial activities in an
LGU.

In the registration of informal ambulant vendors, the following documents shall be
required:

(a) Valid government-issued identification card;

(b) Certification from the Punong Barangay attesting that the informal ambulant
vendor is a resident of the barangay;

(©) A duly accomplished Registration Form indicating the vending site where such
informal ambulant vendor is vending or intends to vend; and

(d) Certificate of Indigency.

Within seven (7) days after submission of documents, a certificate shall be issued by
the concerned LGU to the applicant informal ambulant vendor.

SEC. 6. Rights of Informal Ambulant Vendors. — Informal ambulant vendors have
the following rights:

(a) Right to renewal of registration as informal ambulant vendors for such
designated vending place, subject to said person's continued qualification as an
informal ambulant vendor;

(b) Right to security of tenure in the designated vending place as assigned by the
concemed LGU;

(c) Right to be recognized in other LGUs upon securing a prior certificate from the
other LGU; and

(d) Right to social protection and safety nets, labor market programs, and social
welfare interventions such as social security, health care, and insurance.

SEC. 7. Local Inter-Agency Council on the Security and Protection of Registered
Informal Ambulant Vendors. ~ The City or Municipal Mayor shall establish a Local
Inter-Agency Council through an appropriate local ordinance within one (1) year from
the effectivity of this Act. This Council shall be responsible for coordinating efforts to
ensure the security and protection of registered informal ambulant vendors.

The Local Inter-Agency Council shall be headed by the City or Municipal
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Administrator and shall be composed of the following as members:
(a) Chairperson of the Sanggunian Committee on Market, Business, or Trade;
(b) City or Municipal Planning and Development Officer;

(c) City or Municipal Market Administrator, or a person holding an equivalent
position;

(d) Chief, City or Municipal Police;
(e) Municipal or City Health Officer,
(f) President, Association of Barangay Chairpersons;

(g) At least two (2) representatives from the City or Municipal Vendors Association;
and

(h) In the case of Metropolitan Manila, a representative from the Metro Manila
Development Authority

SEC. 8. Powers and Functions. — The Local Inter-Agency Council shall perform the
following functions:

(a) Formulate plans, programs, projects or activities that shall ensure the security
of registered informal ambulant vendors in the workplace for the approval of the
Sanggunian;

(b) Recommend appropriate measures to the City or Municipal Mayor and the
‘Sanggunian to enhance the participation of registered informal ambulant vendors in
local socioeconomic development efforts;

(©) Assist in conducting surveys on vacant areas for vending sites; and

(d) Conduct regular inspections and monitor the compliance of registered informal
ambulant vendors to health and safety standards.

SEC. 9. Authority to Designate a Vending Site. — Pursuant to the recommendation of
the Local Inter-Agency Council, the concerned Sanggunian shall designate a vending
site through an ordinance. The use of a public park, city or municipal street, or sidewalk
for vending purposes shall be subject to the provisions of Sections 16 to 21 of Republic
Act (RA) No. 7160, otherwise known as the “Local Government Code of 1991,” and RA
No. 4136, otherwise known as the “Land Transportation and Traffic Code.”

SEC. 10. Prior Consultation Required. — No vending site shall be designated unless
prior consultation with informal ambulant vendors, the local police, and the affected
inhabitants is undertaken.

SEC. 11. Policy on Relocation of Vending Sites. — Registered informal ambulant
5


vendors shall not be arbitrarily deprived of their vending sites nor their stalls demolished
without due process of law.

Pending the designation of a viable vending site, vendors occupying a public place
not previously designated as a vending site shall be provided with a viable temporary
vending site by the city or municipal government.

The removal of informal ambulant vendors from their designated vending sites shall
be done with due process and no violence, demolition, destruction, or confiscation of
the property and goods of registered informal ambulant vendors.

SEC. 12. Health and Safety Standards. — All registered informal ambulant vendors
shall comply with basic health and safety standards to be established by the concerned
LGU in coordination with the Local Inter-Agency Council in accordance with RA No.
11058, entitled, “An Act Strengthening Compliance with Occupational Safety and Health
Standards and Providing Penalties for Violations Thereof.”

SEC. 13. Revocation of Certificate. — Certificates issued to informal ambulant
vendors shall be revoked by the appropriate LGU in case of misdeclaration or
misrepresentation in their documentary requirements: Provided, That the concerned
informal ambulant vendor shall be accorded due process.

SEC. 14. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within ninety (90) days from the
effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local
Government shall promulgate the necessary implementing rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 15. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions not affected shall continue to be in
full force and effect.

SEC. 16. Repealing Clause. — All laws, orders, rules, and regulations or parts thereof
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 17. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,