Veco upgrades Carbon market electrical wiring

Veco engineer Valentin Saludes III says the upgrade is just one of their projects in the city. (CDN PHOTO/ JOSE SANTINO BUNACHITA)

The Unit 1 of Carbon Market in Cebu City will now be brighter after the Visayan Electric Company (Veco) turned over the upgraded electrical wiring system of the facility to city government officials last Friday.

The power utility started changing the old and substandard electrical wires in Unit I of Cebu City’s biggest public market in November. The project cost was P386,540.

Veco also donated 42 high bay lights and 46 compact fluorescent light bulbs.

The materials and labor for the upgrading were both shouldered by Veco as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects.

“This will lighten up the whole Carbon (market). This has a very significant impact on the consumers. This will deter criminality because it’s lighted all over. This is also helping the operational overhead expenses of the stall owners because they will no longer be placing their individual lights,” said Acting Mayor Edgardo Labella.

A ceremonial switching-on of the electrical system was attended by Labella, City Administrator Lucelle Mercado, City Markets Administrator Raquel Arce andVeco engineers Valentin Saludes III and Eric Ching.

In a speech, Saludes asked the market vendors to help maintain the new system by reporting defects and illegal wire tapping.

“Dili lang kani, padayon ta ug ayo sa ubang mga palengke sa syudad. Hangyo lang namo sa Veco nga atong paga-ampingan ang bag-ong suga (This is not the only project, we will continue to upgrade the other markets in the city. We just ask you to take care of the new lighting system),” he said during the turnover ceremony inside the Unit 1, which is Carbon’s wet market.

With the new lights, Arce said individual stall vendors won’t need to use their light bulbs, which are usually incandescent and are not energy-efficient.

Currently, the owners pay for their own electrical consumption. But with the project, Arce said the payment of the new lights will be shouldered by the city government.