Megawide Executive Director for Infrastructure, Louie Ferrer, assured Carbon Market vendors that the facility will remain public once the renovation is completed. CDN Digital photo | Delta Dyrecka Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Megawide Construction Corp., the developer for the modernization of the Carbon Market, assured vendors that the market will remain public.
This amid reports that the modernization would constitute a privatization of the public market and would displace the at least 5,000 vendors and tenants there.
Megawide Executive Director for Infrastructure, Louie Ferrer, said that once the modern public market is completed in the now Freedom Park and Warwick Barracks, the city government will handle its operation.
Ferrer assured that while the Megawide will assist the city government in the operations of the public market, the arkabala rate or rental rate will be determined by the City Council.
Based on the size of the stalls, Megawide even proposed a lower rate compared to the current P50 per day rent.
“Mas barato pa gyod atong rate kay mas gamay atong stall, aron masulod gyod silang tanan sa bag-ong market,” said Ferrer.
This means that vendors who will be selling inside the new market will have to pay lower than before.
Still, it may take two years for the modern public market to be completed.
Megawide will be refurbishing the current Carbon Unit II to house the vendors from Freedom Park and Warwick Barracks, who will be transferred for the construction of the modern market.
The refurbishing will start around March 2021 and is expected to be completed around September 2021.
Once the vendors have been transferred, Ferrer said they will begin the construction of the modern public market at Block 1 and Block 2.
The construction will take two years or an estimated completion by the end of 2023.
Once the public market will be completed, all vendors from Unit II and III will be permanently transferred there and Megawide will continue to construct the other areas such as the Boccarria, the City-Check in facility connected to the airport, the chapel and park, and the seaports.
The entire project is expected to be completed in five years with a budget of P5.5 billion.
Ferrer reiterates that the modernized plans have been consulted with all stake holders including the vendors associations.
“Two years ago pa mi sigeg consult nila. We have been actively coordinating with stall and ambulant vendors,” said Ferrer.
Megawide hopes that the vendors will understand the essence of the project and support it, because it will be for their own benefit. /rcg