Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella | PIO Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Fish traders have something to look forward to.
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said they are now considering the possibility of reopening the Suba Fish Port and Pasil Fish Market which he ordered closed more than a month ago because of the presence of cases of the coronavirus disease in Barangay Suba.
Read: Labella orders temporary closure of Suba Fish Port, Pasil Fish Market
But first, there was a need for the city to make sure that the two areas are already safe and free of any threats of the infection.
In a phone interview with CDN Digital, Labella said that the fish port and fish market, just like other areas in the city with threats of the infection, have been placed under close monitoring by the City Health Department. These were constantly disinfected while nearby residents suspected for COVID-19 have already been swabbed.
While they continue to study the readiness of the fish port and the nearby fish market, Labella said that fish vendors will be allowed to continue to sell in a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) that they now occupy.
“Anyway, napahimutang naman sila dinha sa SRP. Spacious man kaayo didto, hangin pa, mas dili makaspread ang virus didto,” said Labella.
(Anyway, they are well situated at the SRP. The place is spacious and airy, factors that will prevent the spread of the virus.)
However, there are still some vendors who wanted to already reoccupy their stalls at the Pasil Fish Market.
Delia (not her real name) said she did not want to relocate to the temporary fish market at the SRP because of its distance. She instead sold fish at home in Barangay Duljo.
The 47-year-old vendor said that life has been very difficult for her and members of her family since the fish market was ordered closed.
Still, Delia said, she understood the mayor’s reasons for having the fish market closed.
Like several other fish vendors, Delia said she looks forward to the reopening of the Suba Fish Port and the Pasil Fish Market so she could already continue with her respective businesses.
“Nakabaligya man gihapon ko, okay raman ko. Pero lahi ra gyod tong sa merkado,” she said.
(I can still earn even if I sell fish at home. But it is still very different when you sell fish at the market.) / dcb