CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama has no plans to negotiate with the vendors who are against the development of the old Carbon Public Market after seeing that some politicians have gotten involved in the issue.
Rama told reporters that former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña and his wife and mayoralty candidate Margarita “Margot” Osmeña and her running mate, Association of Barangay Councils president Franklyn Ong, once visited a group of vendors who opposed the joint venture agreement (JVA) entered into by Megawide Construction Corp. and the Cebu City Government to develop the Carbon Public Market.
“Pangutan-a sila, kinsa ilang mayor (Ask them, who’s their mayor)?” Rama said.
In a previous press conference, Rama and Louie Ferrer of Megawide Construction said they were willing to deal with the issue, since they were following the legal process in signing the JVA.
“Kon kining mga grupoha gisudlan na og pulitika nganong makig-estorya man ta og pulitika nga kining atong project, project man ni para sa tibuok siyudad sa Sugbo. Kon iapil ang pulitika, ako gyud nang klaruhon. Dili ko makig-estorya kong ang akong atubangon gisudlan og pulitika. That is my position,” the mayor added. (If this group of vendors is now being influenced by politicians, why talk about politics when our project is for the whole of Cebu City? If politics is involved, let me be clear. I will not talk to anyone who is politically influenced. That is my position).
On Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022, militant group Gabriela, along with the Makabayan bloc, said they will endorse the issue during the 18th Congress for a congressional hearing.
A day earlier, around 100 vendors from the Warwick Barracks and Freedom Park held a rally to protest against the Carbon Market modernization and their relocation to the interim market, saying the place is unsafe for them and for the buyers.
In a separate development, Lyds Eco, project director of Megawide subsidiary Cebu2World Development Inc. (C2W), said the project will proceed despite the Covid-19 pandemic and Typhoon Odette (Rai) that hit the city on Dec. 16, 2021.
“The project is proceeding as scheduled. Phase 1, which includes the Senior Citizens Park and Chapel, the Interim Market Building at the former Unit 2, the remaining Bagsakan area and rehabilitated Quezon Boulevard will all be completed by the end of January,” Eco said.
C2W will also fund the drainage system project around the Carbon market. (PAC / TPT)