Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Southern Mindanao denounced police and Davao City local government personnel for their violent and inhumane eviction of vendors at Bankerohan Public Market on April 29.

Under the guise of a “road clearing operation” on Marfori Street in Barangay 5-A, police confiscated the vendors’ goods. The operation is part of the D.A.V.A.O. (Discipline, Action, Virtue, Accountability, and Order) campaign, supposedly for “order and anti-criminality.”

According to KMU-SMR, the ruthless confiscation of goods shows the local government’s disregard for small vendors and their livelihoods. It said these vendors pay daily arkabala or market fees and rent, yet the government does not provide them proper stalls and space in the market.

“The vendors in Bankerohan are not criminals. They are workers—mothers, fathers, and breadwinners—struggling for an earning to feed their families,” the group said.

“The team’s demolition reflect the brutal and callous governance of the city toward the poor,” KMU-SMR spokesperson Jeffry Uypala said.

KMU-SMR stressed that this incident happens amid a deepening economic crisis. Dabawenyos face high fuel prices, fisherfolk struggle to sail, and the quality of life in the city continues to decline.

“Instead of support, the LGU responds with demolition. Instead of dialogue, it uses force,” the group said.

KMU-SMR called on the Davao City LGU to immediately stop all evictions of vendors until it conducts consultation, relocation, and alternative livelihood. It also demanded accountability from the demolition team and just compensation for those injured and displaced on April 29.

“Workers and the poor are not obstacles to be cleared. They are the backbone of this city’s economy,” the group asserted.