Carbon vendors cry of alleged ‘betrayal’ over Archival’s zoning push

Mayor-elect Archival dismissed claim, said he would advise the council to 'withdraw' the ordinance

Several vendor groups in Cebu City urged the city council on Tuesday, June 24, to defer final reading of the 2025 Revised Zoning Ordinance. | CDN Photo/ Pia Piquero

CEBU CITY, Philippines —  On the eve of a crucial Cebu City Council vote, Carbon Market vendors and urban poor advocates cried foul over what they described as a “betrayal” by Mayor-elect Nestor Archival Sr. for backing a zoning ordinance that seeks to reclassify the public market from institutional to commercial.

In a press conference on Tuesday, June 24, leaders from CEMVEDCO, Carbonhanon, CCUVA, and civil society groups called for the deferment of the approval of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan and Zoning Ordinance (CLUP/ZO), demanding that it undergo proper consultation, particularly with the affected communities.

“Together with the Urban Poor Alliance and other Civil Society Organizations, we request the deferment of the approval of CLUP/ZO until it is properly reviewed by the different sectors,” said Bimbo Fernandez of Pagtambayayong in a joint public statement.

“We lament with great sadness that this early, even before they have assumed office, betrayals have become an issue. All that we are asking is to defer approval until the proposed CLUP/ZO is properly reviewed. Why the rush?” he added.

They questioned the sudden rush to approve the proposed ordinance, pointing out that during an earlier council session, members of the City Council had indicated the measure would be deferred to the next administration.

Vendors cite lack of consultation, transparency

They also raised concerns about whether Mayor-elect Archival’s position aligns with this approach, as the proposed measure is set for its third and final reading on Wednesday, June 25.

“The third and final reading is the last breath sa among life ari sa Carbon,” they said.

Vendor-leaders criticized what they described as their “exclusion” from public hearings and a lack of transparency in the legislative process.

“Nagpatawag sila ug (They called for a) public hearing sa (last) June 11, pero (but) we were not informed. We were not invited. We only knew nga naay (of the) public hearing kay nabasa namo sa (after we read about it from the) newspaper. Ang (The) other civil society organization did not even know,” said Ann Ariosa of Carbonhanong Alyansa.

Ariosa said vendors were only called in for a caucus meeting on June 16, after they submitted a position paper, but even then, they felt the consultation lacked substance.

“Unya ilaha mi gi explainan pero wala mutuhop namo kay the only the time gitawag mi for consultation kay kato raman giagi ug tubag sa among position paper,” she said.

(They tried to explain but we never understood what they were talking about because the only time that they called us for consultation was through the submission of our position paper.)

Legal basis challenged

Erwin Goc-ong, chairman of the Cebu Market Vendors Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Cemvedco), questioned the legal basis for declaring the Carbon Market a commercial area. He pointed to official documents and highlighted that the private contractor had applied for a zoning variance.

Goc-ong recalled that during their meeting on June 16, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera stated that a 1996 ordinance classified Carbon Market as commercial.

However, Goc-ong said Pesquera also admitted that there was a contradiction between the text of the ordinance and what was indicated on the council’s map.

He further questioned, “Kung ang Carbon Market commercial siya, nganong ni-apply man si [private contractor] ug variance, zoning variance niadtong 2024? Nganong ni-apply man siya ug zoning variance converting Carbon Market from institutional to commercial?”

(If Carbon Market were classified as commercial, why did the private contractor apply for variance, zoning variance in 2024? Why did they apply for zoning variance to convert Carbon Market from institutional to commercial?)

‘Dili na ni amoa’: Vendors fear full privatization

Goc-ong cautioned that the full privatization of the Carbon Market would deprive vendors of their stake in the public market.

He stressed that the market should remain owned by the people, especially the poor and the stakeholders.

“Ang Carbon Public Market magpabilin nga tag-iya sa katawhan, sa mga kabos, iyaha sa mga stakeholders. So nakita man gud namo nga kung pananglitan ma-commercial na, dili na ni amoa. Mapadayon na gyud ang pag-privatize sa tibuok Carbon Public Market,” he said.

(Carbon Public Market should be owned the people, the poor, the stakeholders. If this is commercialized, this will no longer be ours. Privatization of the entire Carbon Public Market will already push through.)

Goc-ong also warned of possible repercussions based on the city’s agreement with the private contractor. He likened the situation to being “trapped.”

“Ang mahitabo mura mi ug mga tawo nga gisulod ug drum unya gisudlan ug tubig, gisudlan ug tubig. Dili mi papahawaon hangtod kami na muingon para mauhawa na mi,” he said.

(It is like placing people inside a drum that is filled with water. We will not be asked to leave until we are the ones who will say that we are leaving.)

‘Wala pa namo gifeel nga betrayal’

When asked if they considered Archival’s actions a betrayal, Goc-ong responded that it was more of a question than a feeling.

“Wala pa namo gifeel nga betrayal ni sa iyang promise sa marginalized nga dili niya talikdan ang mga vulnerable ug iyang i-uplift ang among human dignity ug panginabuhi,” he said.

(We are yet to feel that this is a betrayal of his promise to the marginalized that he will not turn his back on the vulnerable [sector] and that he will uplift our human dignity and livelihood.)

He added that they were simply asking whether Archival intends to fulfill his promises, and if not, then it could be considered a betrayal. However, if it was just an oversight or misunderstanding, then it remain as a mere question.

Archival: CLUP necessary, betrayal claim dismissed

In a separate interview on Tuesday, Archival defended his support for the CLUP. He emphasized that this has been studied for over three years and was crucial for effective city planning.

“Well, akong statement is… ang kining CLUP gi-studyhan na ni for three years. Dugay na kaayo na. Sobra pa gani, and there are so many things nga kinahanglan nato ni approvebahan because daghan kaayo mawa nato,” Archival said.

(Well, my statement is.. the CLUP underwent study for three years.  It’s been there for a long time. And we need to already approve this because we will be losing a lot if we don’t.)

Archival explained that without the CLUP, major agencies would have no basis to implement projects. He added that this was the reason why their projects often required variances, meaning that every time something was planned, they had to rely on variances because there was no approved CLUP, resulting in a lot of uncertainty.

“Regarding sa commercial, I would understand, ako na na sila gipasabot nga ang kanang (I already explained to them that) Carbon has been commercial because namaligya man ta (because we sell there). Commercial man na.”

‘Unsa man ako i-betray nila?’

When asked about the accusation of betrayal, the mayor-elect was quick to dismiss the claim. He said he saw no reason to betray anyone since he had not caused any problems to the entire city of Cebu

In response to the vendors concerns, Archival said that he would make an appeal to Councilor Joy Pesquera to delay the passage of the CLUP.

“Ako ingon, akong hangyoon si Kons Joy Pesquera nga i-delay nato na…but the betrayal, ngano gud tawon magsulti siya ana?” he said.

(I will make an appeal for Councilor Joy Pesquera to delay that… but as to the [accusations of] betrayal, why would they say that?)

Archival will take his oath officially on Thursday, June 26, at the Plaza Sugbo grounds in Cebu City Hall.