City to cut entrance fees of goods brought into public markets

Wanting to prevent further increases in the prices of commodities, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that he intends to cut by half the entrance fees of goods brought into the city’s public markets.

Osmeña said on his Facebook post on Monday morning that a reduction in fees will prevent vendors from passing on the added cost to their customers.

“To help combat the increasing prices of goods, the City Government will be reducing the vendor market entrance fees in all Cebu City owned market spaces by up to 50%. By doing this, vendors will not have to raise prices to compensate for the increasing cost of goods. We will absorb the cost so they don’t have to be passed on to you,” said Osmeña’s FB post.

“We will also be starting a program where we will ship produce directly from farms around the country and selling them at a cost in Cebu. By doing this we can hopefully help people who are looking to lower their daily expenses,” he added.

The mayor’s post solicited more than 4,000 reactions as of 7 p.m. on Monday and 721 shares.

Osmeña’s proposal will be implemented as soon as the publication requirement for the approved ordinance of Councilor Alvin Arcilla, head of the Council’s market committee, which seeks to amend the City Market Code of 2017 to allow the reduction in entrance fees of goods, is complied with.

Arcilla said that he was also waiting for the mayor to put his directive into writing so that he will have basis for its implementation in addition to provisions of his ordinance which was approved during the Council session on October 23.

Once implemented, the entrance fee for rice and corn, for example, which is set at P2 per 50 kilogram sack will now be reduced to only P1.

The fee for large cattle which is set at P70 will now be cut to only P35 per head while the entrance fee for large first class fish set at P175 per big box will now be set at P87.50.

Cuts in the entrance fees of goods will be implemented in the city’s seven public markets located at the Carbon Market Complex and the Mango Trade Mall in Barangay Mabolo and those that are located in Barangays San Nicolas Proper (Taboan Market), Barangay Pasil (Cebu City Fish Market), Cogon Ramos (Ramos Public Market), T. Padilla and Pardo.

Arcilla said that his ordinance is also expected to benefit the vendors.

“Ana lagi sila nga igo na sila sa daghan nga taxes unya naa pay Train law. Nisaka ang presyo sa crudo, unya nagdomino effect. Maayo nang mareduce sad nato ilahang gasto sa market. Makatabang sa mga manindahay,” said Arcilla.

(The vendors have been complaining of the (local) taxes that they will have to pay in addition to (taxes imposed) under the Train law. Prices of oil have increased and this has domino effects. It is for their best interest that we also reduce their market expenses. We will be helping vendors this way.)