Rupinta moves fish vendors to the back of Carbon market

FISH vendors plying their trade on Calderon Street near the Carbon Public Market were ordered to leave the area yesterday and move to the back of the public market.

The order was issued by Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo “Imoc” Rupinta.

Their stalls were scheduled to be removed from the area or demolished at midnight.

Maria Elena Ando, who has been selling fish for 50 years, said they were not informed of the order.

“Wala g’yud mi kahibaw nganong gipapahawa mi (We do not know why we are ordered to move),” she said.

She said selling fish is the only source of income of their family.

“Akong bana walay trabaho ug napulo kabuok akong anak (My husband has no job and I have 10 children to feed),” she said.

Rupinta, however, said the vendors were already informed of the plan for demolition since last week.

“Panginabuhi na ang ilaha, ato sad tagaan og higayon nga mabuhi pud sila didto (It is their livelihood. We are giving them a chance to do business there),” he said.

He said he planned to transfer fish vendors to one area, at the back of the public market.

“Iipon ra na siya sa usa ka lugar ara sa luyo kay kusog man halin sa luyo (They will be put in one place because I have observed that there are lots of customers in there),” he said.

Rupinta said a fish market is always smelly and wet and should be in just one place.

Another fish vendor, Ana Marie Ariosa, claimed that Rupinta was angry at them because they no longer paid their Arkabala (tax) since Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered the barangay to stop the collection.

Rupinta said the Arkabala is not a tax but rather a donation and is in the amount of P10 daily.

“Mosuroy-suroy lang daw mis among tinda sa planggana, pwede ra daw (We should just carry the fish inside the basin and go around selling it),” she said.

Daisy Jovelyn Gomez, president of the Calderon Barracks Association (CBA) said there are at least 90 fish vendors affected of the sudden order.

“Gihulga mi og demolisyon sa kapitan sa Ermita niadto pang pag Huwebes sa kaadlawn (We were threatened with demolition by the barangay captain of Ermita since early morning Thursday),” she said.

She said the demolition was postponed because of the declaration of a holiday last October 26 for the burial of the late Cebu Archbishop Emeritus Ricardo Cardinal Vidal.

Rupinta said he is willing to bring back the vendors if they don’t get customers at their new place.

“Tan-aw nako mas daghan sila halin kon didto sa luyo. Ato sang obserbaran kay kon dili pwede man sila ibalik,” he said. (I believe they will have an increase in sales if they are at the back of the market. But we will first observe. Because we can always bring them back if their sales will drop.)