(UPDATED May 18, 2020; 6:05 p.m.) Vice President Leni Robredo and her “Angat Buhay” anti-poverty program partnered with the Quezon City government to launch an application dedicated to helping market vendors affected by the enhanced community quarantine.
On Monday, Robredo announced on her social media accounts that the app called “Community Mart” aims to help market vendors of Quezon City’s Kamuning Market and the city’s tricycle drivers to earn their livelihood while on-site work and public transportation remain prohibited under quarantine rules.
Tricycle drivers and market vendors are among the daily wage earners severely affected by the strict umbrella directive the government has imposed since March 17 as part of their stringent measures to slow down COVID-19 transmissions.
Even if public markets are among those exempted under the protocols, the number of Filipinos allowed buying their commodities and the fear of getting infected by the highly communicable disease and the restrictions in public movement affected the vendors’ income.
The ECQ imposed over Metro Manila is scheduled to last until May 15. After this, the national government announced a new directive called modified ECQ wherein travel and work restrictions will be partially eased.
Starting Tuesday or on May 12, Robredro said that Filipino consumers can download the app on Google Play and Apple Store, and then shop for basic commodities such as fruits, vegetables, and meat which are normally found in the Kamuning Market.
“With our Office and Quezon City Government, this project gives small market vendors and tricycle drivers an opportunity to have better income, amidst the impact of Enhanced Community Quarantine on their livelihoods,” the vice president said.
Being a newly developed app, Robredo also said that this project will only be limited to the following barangays:
- Kamuning
- Mariana
- Obrero
- Sacred Heart
- Laging Handa
- Pinagkaisahan
- South Triangle
- Paligsahan
- Roxas District
To guide consumers in their purchases, Robredo also shared photos and a three-minute video clip containing steps and features of the app. She also said that consumers can message designated tricycle driver for their orders.
Based on the photos and videos, the app contains options on several locations aside from Quezon City.
In the meantime, however, this service is only available to the barangays in Quezon City mentioned in the post. The mode of payment will also be Cash on Delivery for now.
Safe and effective innovation
For this initiative, Robredo once again earned praises again, with online users highlighting that the app helps Filipinos earn and practice social distancing as well.
In their online tribute, some online users listed Robredo’s other fund-raising initiatives and activities to help Filipino workers cope with the health crisis.
Since the start of the lockdown, the Office of the Vice President has been raising funds to help vulnerable members of the society and the workers at the front lines of the battle against the new pathogen.
The OVP recently managed to raise more than P122 million to purchase personal protective equipment and other needs for the health workers and other frontliners.
The problem in big wet markets
Some markets in Quezon City recently made headlines and became part of online conversations because they get too crowded every now and then.
Local government units have previously aired concerns that public markets, particularly in Metro Manila, are among the places where officials deemed it hard to implement social distancing procedures.
This setback prompted some LGUs to get creative. Some LGUs including the cities of Pasig, Valenzuela, Caloocan, Malabon, and others, deployed mobile markets or stores, which are vehicles converted into mini markets.
The Baguio City Police Office, meanwhile, resorted to visual cues on the province’s main road to help residents observe physical distancing on their way to the city’s public market.