AROUND 3,000 market vendors in Cogon market in Cagayan de Oro City may be displaced next year by the City Government's planned market rehabilitation project.
Nora Lee, a fruit vendor, said they were alarmed after learning about the renovation plan in a public hearing conducted by officials.
"Basin unya wala nami kabaligyaan ani kung madayon ang renovation. Pero gisuportahan man gihapon namo, pero dapat isiguro lang gyud nila among kabalhinan kay mao ra baya ni among pangita, mao lang ni ang gisaligan sa among pamilya," Lee said in an interview.
The City Council has earlier approved a P17-million budget for the total renovation of Cogon public market with the rehabilitation work set to begin next year.
“Gi-finalize pa tanan ang plano,” said city councilor Ian Mark Nacaya, chair of the committee on economic enterprise.
The renovation will include the repair of the market's drainage system and re-sectioning of stalls inside the three-storey public market to be able to compete with big malls in the city.
Nacaya assured that no vendor will be displaced when the renovation starts.
Nacaya said a temporary place where stalls will be built to allow vendors to continue their livelihood.
"We have issued a direction to the City Economic Enterprises Department (CEED) staff that in planning, rehabilitation of drainage system in Cogon market, design of re-sectioning and arranging the stall holders after the completion of the projects, licensed stall owners will be accommodated in the distribution of stalls inside the market," he said.
"We are also conducting a series of public hearing for the stall owners because we are trying to change their culture nga gapasagad lang, the vendors should also change themselves for us to achieve the renovation we want for Cogon market," Nacaya said.
Rodulfo Yana, officer-in-charge of Cogon market, said they are now waiting for the rehabilitation design from the City Engineer's Office.
Yana disclosed that stall owners are afraid that the chaos that transpired when the same market was rehabilitated in 2008 will happen again.
In 2008, Cogon market was rehabilitated under the administration of former mayor Vicente Emano through a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) agreement. Opposition figures at that time called it a failure, noting that almost all BOT projects ended with the city losing millions in subsidies.
"Natatak sa ilang huna-huna tong nahitabo nga niabot pa gane sa pag-file sa case, because pagbalik sa vendors it turned out na wala naman diay silay stall pag-open sa Cogon market," Yana said.
Yana, however, assured that licensed vendors won't be affected with the new renovation and that they will be given spaces to continue their business.
Cogon market has 3,480 registered vendors.