MAASIN CITY -- At least 100 Nego-Kart (negosyo sa kariton) are now operating in the cities of Eastern Visayas, turning ambulant vendors into cart owners, the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) reported.
Dole Regional Director Forter G. Puguon said the project is now being implemented in this city, Calbayog, Ormoc, and Tacloban with about 20 to 30 nego-kart units in every city.
Each vendor-beneficiary is provided with a total of P15,000 in assistance including a vending cart and accessory livelihood tools costing P12,000, along with working capital amounting to P2,500 and training assistance worth P500.
“Those vendors don’t have to worry that authorities will drive them away since they have permits and a permanent place to locate the cart,” Puguon said.
The project is in partnership with City Governments to ensure that securing necessary permits will be facilitated before the project was launched early this year. The role of local officials is to help vendors operate legally.
“This was implemented during the transition period from the old administration to the new administration since this was identified as deliverable,” he said.
The labor department is studying the possibility of expanding the project in capital towns and other areas of the region with many ambulant vendors.
Other than raising their income, Dole expects the initiative will provide the vendors with services that will enable them to increase, upgrade and diversify their products and services, and market the same to more buyers or customers.
One of the beneficiaries is 40-year-old Nene D. Roces of Barangay Abgao, this city. She said she’s been a vendor of soft drinks and instant foods for five years but she never learned how to deal with costumers and keep record until she was listed as one of the recipients of the project.
“Since I got this kart, my daily gross sales increased from P500 to P1,000. I hope this business would continue to support us in sending our children to school,” said Roces, a mother of two, said.
For Merylou Dalida, 32, the cart draws more buyers because it is more presentable than the old table she used before. “Now, I earn more money to buy medicines for my sickly father,” she added.
Fe Norma Valuis, head of the Dole Southern Leyte field office, said recipients are paying taxes since they have necessary permits to operate cart business.
“We asked the City Government to designate a place where they can stay after roaming around during daytime,” Valuis added.
The Nego-Kart project, which has been implemented in major cities of the country, caters to ambulant vendors who trade their goods or services without the necessary market business permits in sidewalks, buses, community market places and other public places.
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