MAYOR-ELECT Nestor Archival has changed his mind, now calling for the deferment of the approval of the revised Zoning Ordinance of Cebu City.
This comes after some vendor associations said they felt betrayed over Archival’s earlier call for the approval of the proposed legislation.
The proposed revised Zoning Ordinance is now on its third and final reading and is included in the agenda for the regular session on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Archival, in a phone interview on Tuesday, June 24, said he will ask the ordinance’s author, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, to defer the approval of the Zoning Ordinance to answer the vendors’ plight.
Previously, Archival expressed at one of the transition teams’ meetings that the revised Zoning Ordinance must be approved before a new administration takes in, considering the amount of delays it already went through.
“I will ask Joy if she can withdraw it, simple as that. We will focus on something where I can concentrate without constant complaints,” he said.
He explained that a revised Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Clup) is crucial for national agencies eyeing projects in Cebu City, saying without an updated one, a zoning variance would be necessary for any new developments.
Regarding the Carbon vendors, Archival said he already told them that the Carbon area has been a commercial zone since the 1996 Zoning Ordinance.
He also assured the vendors that Carbon would remain “as is” when he officially assumes office.
Upon learning of Archival’s initial call for approval, vendor associations held a press conference in front of the Carbon Barracks and demanded the deferral of the 1996 Zoning Ordinance’s revision.
During the press conference, Cebu Market Vendors Development Cooperative president Erwin Gok-ong read a public statement authored by former city administrator Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez where Archival initially called to approve the Clup.
The group called the move a “betrayal” of his covenant with the urban poor and the vendors.
“All that we are asking is to defer approval until the proposed Clup/Zoning Ordinance are properly reviewed. Why the rush?” Gok-ong said. / JPS