Pasil Fish Market to reopen on August 15

Photo courtesy of MOD

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Pasil Fish Market in Cebu City will already be reopened starting on August 15 after three months of closure following the spread of the coronavirus disease in the area and in neighboring communities.

However, its operations will still be limited to accommodate only around 100 ambulant vendors and 50 retailers to ensure social distancing inside the market premise, said Irvin Cabales, the city’s Market Authority head.

Caballes said that the ambulant vendors will be assigned to occupy old stalls at the market’s phase 1 while the retailers will be assigned to occupy the newly renovated phase 2.

Fish Market Reopening

With the reopening of the fish market, Caballes said that they will also close the city’s temporary fish market at the South Road Properties (SRP).

“Dili man gyod suited tong area sa SRP para sa atong mga retailers noh kay walay tarong drainage mao na magbaha-baha kay magsige man na silag huwad og tubig o unsa pa,” said Cabales.

(The vending area at the SRP was not suitable for our retailers because it did not have a drainage system which causes flooding every time that they would dispose used water and other wastes.)

Mayor Edgardo Labella ordered the Pasil Fish Market and the nearby Suba Fish Port closed in May following the rise in COVID-19 cases in the neighboring Barangays of Suba and Pasil.

Now that the fish market has been cleared of threats of the infection, the city’s Market Authority announced the resumption of operation there starting on August 15.

Suba Fish Port

However, the fish port will remain closed because of ongoing renovation works, Caballes said.

Traders will have to continue their use of the temporary “bagsakan” at the SRP for fishes that will be brought to the Pasil Fish Market.

Market Schedule

Before they would officially reopen the fish market, Caballes said that the area will have to be cleaned and the stalls rearranged to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements.

Caballes said that they will also adopt the coding scheme that is now being implemented at the Carbon Public Market that is determined based on the first letter of the buyer’s family name to further control the movement of people there.

See schedule below:

The fish market will only be opened from Mondays to Saturdays.  It will be closed for disinfection on Sundays.

Caballes said that a “one-entrance-one-exit” policy will also be implemented to ensure the smooth movement of people in the area. / dcb