Rama disappointed of delay of Carbon Market supplemental MOA

Cebu City vice mayor Mike Rama | CDN Digital file

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is disappointed of the delay of the City Council in tackling the Carbon Market supplemental Memorandum of Agreement (MOA).

The supplemental MOA should refine the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) that the city made with Megawide Construction Corp. for the modernization of the Carbon Market.

Rama said he was “pissed” that the City Council had not yet tackled the issue when he already submitted the MOA two weeks ago.

The report from the committee on the market has yet to be submitted to the full council which is why the MOA has not yet reached a resolution.

However, the Council has repeatedly discussed the current state of the Carbon Market in the past two regular sessions.

“I’m a little bit pissed off with the Council because I already told the Council that I already have the MOA. I told Raymond Garcia and Junjun Osmeña, bring your committee report because I already submitted the curative, refined MOA,” said the mayor.

Councilor Raymond Garcia, chairperson of the committee on budget and finance, said his committee and the committee on market by Councilor Renato “Junjun” Osmeña”, would be submitting their joint report by next Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

He said the deliberations could not be rushed because it would take time for the City Council to peruse the contract and ensure that everything within it would be beneficial to the city.

He also said that this was done after all, since the supplemental MOA should refine the deficiencies of the original JVA.

“We will of course respect the mayor’s comment on the matter. Nadawat sa council ang amended MOA three weeks ago. Di man na diretso matackle kay ischedule for agenda pa man na. Mao na nga nitake time but next Wednesday we will submit the joint committee report,” said Garcia.

(We will of coourse respect the mayor’s comment on the matter. The council received the amended MOA three weeks ago. That cannot be tackled immediately because that has yet to be scheduled for agenda. That is the reason it took time, but next Wednesday, we will submit the joint committee report.)

Rising tensions

The passing of the supplemented MOA has become crucial with the ongoing tensions in the Carbon Market that has led to multiple clashes between the Carbon vendors and the Market personnel.

On Monday morning, vendors from the Unit II Bagsakan clashed with market personnel once again over another attempt to install yellow railings in the area.

READ: Tension between Unit II vendors, market personnel intensifies

The market personnel failed to install the yellow railings again as the vendors pushed the railings refusing to be “caged” from the road.

The vendors said that the installation of the yellow railings would be right in front of the stall instead of between the road and sidewalk, which is why they vehemently opposed the installation.

WATCH: Tension at Carbon market

Rama clarified that the railings in the Bagsakan were not unique as he had ordered many other areas of the city for railings to be installed for the safety of pedestrians.

“Bear in mind, installation of railings is not new. I have done that in D. Jakosalem, I have done that in M.C. Briones when we restored the two-way. That railing is important for security. I will do my own inspection anytime today,” said Rama.

The mayor is set to inspect the area at Bagsakan within the day. For him, the railings are simply a practice of police power in setting order to the city.

Rama is still determined to put up railings at M.L. Quezon because there is a need to put order in the area, which should improve traffic and help bring more people to the Bagsakan.

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