CEBU City Mayor Nestor Archival has defended his decision to allow a private group to manage the operations of the Colon Night Market. In a press conference on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, the mayor cited the city’s inability to take on additional responsibilities as the primary reason for the arrangement.
“We can’t have the City handle the night market ourselves. We already have so many problems in other areas; why add another?” Archival said.
He framed the decision as a practical way for the City to generate income without incurring the logistical and financial burdens of direct management.
The big question
What are the legal and financial questions surrounding the night market?
What’s the dispute
The core of the dispute centers on financial transparency and the flow of money from vendors to the City’s coffers. Under the current setup, a private organizer pays P200,000 per month to the City’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) for a special permit to run the night market.
This permit covers four months, amounting to a total of P800,000. Archival highlighted this, saying, “For so many years, the City did not get anything from the night market. Now, at least, the City received P200,000.”
However, Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr., in earlier reports, raised questions about the P6,000 monthly fee being collected from each of the market’s over 600 vendors, noting the absence of official remittances from these collections to the City.
City Treasurer Emma Villarete, for her part, said her office had no record or knowledge of the monthly fee. The only funds that the treasurer’s office receives are the arkabala, a daily rental fee of P20 for food stalls and P30 for non-food stalls, as mandated by ordinance.
Archival defended the private organization’s collection of the P6,000 fee, arguing that the organizer uses this money to shoulder expenses for electricity, security, garbage collection and maintenance. He questioned why this fee should be remitted to the City Treasurer’s Office when the organizer had already paid the P200,000 permit fee to the BPLO.
Gasa Board “sidelined”
A significant legal question involves the role of the Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa sa Gugma (Gasa) Board, a special body created by a city ordinance specifically to oversee informal vending operations. The ordinance tasks Gasa to “regulate, monitor, and recommend policies governing sidewalk and night market vendors, including rental fees, stall allocations, and coordination with City departments.”
Alcover pointed out that the current operation lacks Gasa’s legally mandated oversight. Mayor Archival acknowledged that while the Gasa Board has not been abolished, he has not convened it. He justified this by stating, “They’ve been there for so long but have not given anything to the City Government,” and asserted his authority to issue special permits for temporary operations like the night market if it serves the city’s interests.
The night market reopened on Sept. 12, 2025, with expanded food and retail stalls and increased lighting. After an initial weekend-only run starting Aug. 30, it expanded to daily operations in mid-September. The market operates nightly from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. along the stretch of Colon St. from Osmeña Blvd to the University of the Visayas’ main campus. It features goods, food stalls, and local products from more than 600 vendors.
What’s next
The controversy has led to a political standoff. Councilor Alcover has called for the temporary suspension of the Colon Night Market to allow for a review of its legality and compliance with city ordinances.
Archival has rejected this call, saying there is no compelling reason to halt the market’s operations. The mayor urged any vendors with complaints about the fee collections or the private management to bring their concerns directly to his office for action.
With conflicting positions from the executive office, a city councilor, and the City Treasurer, the management and financial structure of the night market are expected to remain under scrutiny. / CAV