Police to man Holy Week crowd at Carbon Public Market

CEBU CITY, Philippines —The Carbon Public Market will be opened to all buyers during the Holy Week celebration.

However, crowd control measures will have to be complied with to avoid overcrowding and the possible spread of the coronavirus disease, said Deputy Director Wilbert Parilla of the Cebu City  Police Office (CCPO).

Parilla made the announcement on Friday, March 12, to guide buyers especially those who are planning to visit biggest public market in Cebu City during the Holy Week celebration to buy ingredients for the “binignit,” a Visayan dish that is made with glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk and mixed with slices of sabá bananas, taro, and sweet potato among others.

READ: Carbon Market may be closed to non-Cebu City residents during Holy Week

Earlier, city officials and the police considered the possibility of closing the Carbon Public Market to non-city residents to prevent a repeat of the incident last year where in a huge crowd of buyers gathered at stores selling ingredients for “binignit” with little or no regard of minimum health standards.

READ: City market execs eye crowd control at Carbon Public Market as Holy Week nears

Parilla said that CCPO, in coordination with the Emergency Operation’s Center (EOC) and the city’s market administrator, already crafted a security plan that will be implemented at the public market during the Holy Week, from March 28 to April 3, 2021.

This will include the need to open the market’s three entrance and exit points to disperse the crowd.  These are located near the University of San Jose Recoletos main campus, in Barangay Pasil through Barangay Ermita, and along MC Briones Street.

Contrary to earlier plans, buyers will no longer be asked to present documents like quarantine passes and Identification Cards upon entry.  Barangay scheduling for market visits will not also be implemented.

Parilla said that scheduling and the checking of documents will only result to a long queue at the market’s entrances.

But while they try to relax the requirements, he said that policemen will be deployed at the market’s entrance and exit points and within its premise, especially in areas were ingredients for “binignit” are sold, to ensure compliance with health protocols.

Personnel from the CCPO headquarters and 50 men from Task Force Kasaligan will be deployed to augment the personnel of the Carbon Police Station that has jurisdiction of the public market.

Parilla is asking buyers to cooperate with the police and to visit the Carbon Public Market ahead of Good Friday to shop.

“Mas maayo kung as early as possible mangumpra na sila, aron dili sila mo dungan sa kadaghanan.”

(It is best if they do their groceries earlier so they won’t have to crowd with the other buyers.) / dcb