STARTING October 1, the Cebu City Government will transfer 360 ambulant vendors in Carbon Public Market to pave the way for the continuation of the road rehabilitation project along Quezon Blvd.
Assistant City Administrator Annabeth Cuizon said vendors will be temporarily transferred to the rehabilitated portion of Quezon Blvd.
From Carbon Public Market, the road rehabilitation, implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways-Central Visayas, will end along Senior Citizens Park across the executive building of City Hall.
It will take two months for the contractor to complete the rehabilitation of the remaining portion of the road.
“Since these 300 plus vendors are ambulant, this two-month period for the contractor to finish the project will be our opportunity to screen vendors who will be placed in a permanent vending area,” Cuizon said.
The City Market Authority held a consultative meeting at City Hall with the affected vendors on Thursday, September 27.
Regina Hista, one of the affected vendors, said she has no problem with the transfer since the City has also provided a temporary vending area for them.
She is also hopeful that the City will already identify an area where they can permanently sell.
Cuizon said they were supposed to transfer the vendors to the fire-gutted Warwick Barracks area, which is also located inside the Carbon Public Market Complex.
But to avoid conflict with vendors who used to occupy the Warwick Barracks, Cuizon said they decided to forego of the plan.
“Right now, the Warwick Barracks has been utilized as parking area and there are also vendors who used to occupy the area who are waiting for the City’s go signal for them to be back, so to avoid conflict, we will just wait for them to be allowed to go back,” she said.
Cuizon said the Warwick Barracks, which currently serves as a pay parking area, is providing a big income for the City. (RVC)