Kamagayan v-hire terminal now used as night market

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City property that has been illegally used as a v-hire terminal in Barangay Kamagayan is now converted into a temporary night market by the City government to accommodate the displaced vendors of the said terminal and other areas.

Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement (PROBE) Head Aderson Comar, in an interview with The FREEMAN, said all stalls surrounding the said v-hire terminal had already been cleared.

There were over 30 stalls plus an illegal structure used as a dwelling found in the said area.

Comar said that their clearing team was not able to clear the area right away as stall owners showed them a certificate from the DTI.

“Naa daw DTI permit unya kita biyay tig paningil sauna anang mga permits sa diha pa ta sa Bureau of Fire. Gipangitaan nakog building permit, permit of occupancy, ug Mayor’s permit, karon wala may ikapakita, (so) illegal structure. So gitagaag notice,” said Comar, who is a former fire mashal.

Notices for voluntary clearing were sent out with some of the stall owners clearing the area even before the deadline set, while the rest of the clearing operations proceeded late last week.

Mayor Mike Rama though was kind enough to these vendors as he agreed to temporarily convert the area into a night market, although Comar is recommending making it 24/7 so that all vendors including those on the sidewalk can now be transferred to the area.

“Katong naa sa among listahan, first priority gyud…Na displace silag pila ka adlaw, balik na pud silag baligya,” Comar added.

He added the area is ideal for a food park since it is contained, thus, traffic will not be hampered anymore plus the food sold will be much safer, away from dust and smoke emitted by vehicles on the street, and more importantly, for the safety of the customers.

The food park named “Chibugan sa Kamagayan” opened Saturday night with no less than Mayor Rama in attendance.

Maria Pino Buanghug, chairperson of Cebu City’s Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa (GASA), said there were over 70 food stalls that were able to sell during the opening days, even on a very short notice.

More food stalls were noted as it did not only involve those displaced food stalls in Kamagayan, but also those in B. Rodriguez, among others.

Buanghug, more popularly known as Maria Pino, also reiterated that the stall owners that were occupying the Kamagayan terminal area are their top priority, but not all of them were able to open yet.

“Dili magutman ang mga kaigsuonang vendors, gipadali gyud ni Mayor Mike nga maablihan dayon ang night market para tuloy-tuloy ilang panginabuhi…Priority ang diha nas Kamagayan, pero ako sila gi advisan nga shift mo ug laing paninda nga mo-fit-in pud sa atong night market,” said Pino.

At the moment, stalls selling in the food park are open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. They are not charged any fee, until the policy is finalized.

The said property that was illegally used as a v-hire terminal had been set aside as a housing project site for the City Hall employees during Rama’s previous term. (FREEMAN)