Carbon Market vendors to lose stalls if they refuse to transfer to interim market

The Carbon Market vendors at Freedom Park and Warwick Barracks are ordered to transfer at the Carbon Interim Market (see photo) so that the construction works of the modernization project can start. | FILE PHOTO

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Carbon Market vendors at the Freedom Park and Warwick Barracks in the Carbon Market who will refuse to transfer will lose their spot in the interim market.

This was the warning of Market Authority Head Racquel Arce as they implement the three-day notice for the vendors to transfer to the temporary market.

The Market Authority will already be implementing the notice because Mayor Michael Rama has verbally issued his directive to the vendors to follow the notice and peacefully transfer to the interim market.

Arce told CDN Digital in a phone interview that the notice should allow the vendors to transfer up until Friday, March 18, 2022. Once they agree to the transfer, the city government will draft a new contract for their stay at the interim market.

“Kung dili gyod sila motransfer, maforfeited ilang pwesto sa interim market ug i-open na nato sa mga vendors nga ganahan mobalhin sa interim market. Atong i-offer ngadto sa second priority like katong mga nabutang sa second floor sa interim market, kung ganahan sila motinda sa ground floor,” said Arce.

(If they really will not transfer, their spot in the interim market will be forfeited and we will open it to those vendors, who would like to transfer at the interim market. We will offer the spot to the second priority vendors like those who got a spot at the second floor of the interim market and we will ask them if they would want to sell their goods at the ground floor.)

Those with existing certificates from the Market Authority for interim market occupancy will be given priority.

After which, the slot will be offered to farmer vendors, who are mostly ambulant vendors who are temporarily using the interim market, while the transfer of the vendors from Freedom Park and Warwick Barracks are ongoing.

Arce said the vendors from Freedom Park and Warwick Barracks had been informed of the transfer for days now so they no longer had any reason to delay.

Councilor Nestor Archival, who delivered a privilege speech at the Council’s regular session, told CDN Digital that he did not understand why the administration was in a hurry to construct the new market.

He said that it was clear that the vendors were suffering because of the project, and they were unsure of their future, and it had gravely affected their trade as well.

“Ngano magdali man sila? Ang mga vendors ang naglisod niini. Wala kasabot ang mga vendors asa sila padung. Wala man gani mi kahibaw unsa gyoy gawas aning ilang modern market. Pakit-a mi unsa gyoy nawng anang bag-ong market,” said Archival in a phone interview.

(Why are they in such a hurry? This will be difficult for the vendors. The vendors don’t understand where they will go. They do not even know what the outside of their modern market would be. Show us how the modern market will look like.)

Carbonhanong Alyansa, the group that has resisted the Carbon Market modernization program because they considered it as privatization, is pleading with Mayor Rama to reconsider his decision.

“Nisaad si Mayor Rama nga moari siya sa Carbon aron moatubang sa mga vendors. Asa naman? Atubanga mi, dungga among mga hangyo,” said Ann Ariosa, the spokesperon of the group.

(Mayor Rama promised to come here in Carbon so that he can face the vendors. Where is he now? Face us, hear our pleas.)

The group is appealing to Rama to heed the request of the City Council to hold in abeyance all construction works until the supplement Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been passed.

Ariosa said the city government should fix the problems of the original Joint-Venture-Agreement (JVA) first before allowing any major constructions to occur.

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