Clearing of M.C. Briones to displace 118 vendors

CEBU, Philippines – Some 118 vendors along M.C. Briones Street this city are threatened to be displaced once the city government implements a partial clearing of the road to facilitate bet-ter vehicle traffic at the Carbon area.

Market Administrator Raquel Arce said Rama gave her office until October this year to remove the identified vendors to widen M.C. Briones. Arce said they have al-ready identified vacant stalls where they may relocate the affected traders, but the vendors have been given a grace period to negotiate with the mayor. 

The Cebu Market Vendors Development Cooperative (Cemvedco) has asked Rama to reconsider his order, saying they will remove their one meter extension if only to improve the traffic situation there.

Arce said the vendors do not want to vacate their stalls because they will be transferred to the back portion of the market, which is no longer strategic for business.

Under module 2, for example, there are three rows with 86 stalls each. Most of the stalls occupied are in rows 1 and 2 while row 3 has a lot of vacant stalls customers rarely go there. If the city demolishes row 1, most of the vendors will be forced to occupy row 3.

"Para nila, maalkansi sila kay wala naman kaayo musulod para mamalit," Arce said.

Cemvedco chairman Erwin Goc-ong said he was able to convince Rama to put the demolition on hold.

"Amo i-establish na seven-meter wide ang road, there will be a trash can each stall, we will paint our stalls, there'll be potted plants each stall, create a group of volun-teer marshals to ensure free flow of traffic, janitorial volunteers and we will maintain peace and order," Goc-ong said.

This way, Goc-ong said, Rama's dream to make the area attractive and safe to foreign and local tourists will still materialize.

Arce said she understands the plight of the vendors, thus, she is trying to find ways that they can continue with their businesses as normally as possible. She said it is undeniable that the city has also its own shortcomings, in this case, failing to provide space for the vendors for 12 years now.

These vendors ended up doing business along M.C. Briones St. after a fire razed unit 2 of the Carbon Market in 1998.

Reconstruction of unit 2 was supposed to start during the time of former mayor Alvin Garcia, but the contract awarded to Young Builders Corp. was rescinded when then Mayor Tomas Osmeña took over.

This time, Rama ordered for the reconstruction of unit 2 and already assured a P65 million budget for its implementation. He ordered the City Market Authority to make the structure operational in one or two years.

The new building will accommodate 500 stalls, but those who can avail of a space there are those with existing contracts of lease with the city. (FREEMAN)