by Sabrina Salas Matanane

Guam - Vendors of the Dededo Flea Market had an opportunity to speak with a task force formed to ensure they are in compliance with Guam's laws. Over the last several weeks the Dededo Flea Market Task Force comprised of representatives from DISID, Public Health, the AG's Office, Guam Police, the Dededo Municipal Planning Council and Guam Fire have been inspecting the swap meet venue to ensure vendors are in compliance with Guam's laws.

For examples exceeding 400 square feet or larger than a 20x20 canopy would require a permit and according to GFD Captain Gerard Terlaje each canopy should have a certified portable fire extinguisher. As for food safety public health environmental health specialist Marilou Bumagat said that out of 34 vendors that were inspected on July 7 none of them had sanitary permits of health certificates.

"And most of these vendors are selling potentially hazardous foods like shrimp kelaguen, chicken kelaguen frozen fish , fresh meat like wild pig just putting in a cooler with just a little ice or sometimes no ice," she said.

Vendors had several questions and suggestions for example like grouping all food vendors in one area of the flea market for easier enforcement, and for the Dededo Mayor's Office to do a better job of ensuring vendors have the proper permits before issuing a slot at the flea market. One vendor said, "Over there before you can open a booth you got to have a business permit which has to be renewed all the time you have to have list of employees that have to have health certificates, you have to have business license, sanitary permit, peddling license and any kind of license that you need and you also have to get pass for fire department and you got to have that to make sure that Chamorro Village knows that you're following direction. I guess that's what we should do at the Dededo Flea Market."

But aside from the flea market though, vendors were also concerned about businesses operating outside the fence, for example a vegetable stand that operates seven days a week as a opposed to the weekend warriors that set up at he flea market. One vendor said, "You can't file a complaint that these guys aren't sanitized," and a DPHSS inspector said, "We don't regulate the actual site unless they have a sanitary permit, we can' close something or cite something that doesn't have a permit its not regulated because its agriculture.' The vendor said, "But those guys are not weekend warriors they're not even farmers they're retailers. Their merchant retailers." DPHSS said, "If they're selling other than vegetable then that's when we can come in."

For now Public Health and Guam Fire have not yet issued citations. They first want to give vendors a chance to get to know the rules and regulations before taking official action.