Cebu City markets get improvements

CEBU, Philippines — More public markets in Cebu City are currently undergoing a facelift through a public-private-partnership scheme, said Market administrator Robert Barquilla.

Barquilla said that aside from private individuals, groups, and companies, he met with different vendors’ association and discussed what needs to be done to improve foot traffic and their income.

Beautification, sanitation, and keeping the public market clean aside from keeping their products safe and affordable are things that they saw that need to be improved.

With that, re-tiling, repainting, and comfort room renovations are now being pursued.

“Ako sila gi-meeting (vendors’ associations) nga nindoton nato atong market para limpyo nya maka-attract og customers unya nitando og ni-support pod sila,” said Barquilla.

Among the public markets outside Carbon that are undergoing renovations through public-private-partnership are Pardo, Taboan, and Pasil.

After the re-roofing of the Pardo Public Market together with the support of a private group, its vendors’ association is also doing repainting and re-tiling while Taboan had some re-painting.

For the Pasil Fish Port, aside from re-painting, the CEMVEDCO and PASAVACA vendors’ group built a comfort room and addressed the issue on water supply.

Barquilla also said that next in line for renovations will be the T. Padilla market.

Meanwhile, The FREEMAN also learned that the Office of the City Markets led by Barquilla himself visited the Navotas Fish Center, the largest fish market in the country, to look into their best practices that can also be applied here.

Barquilla’s group also visited the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority to learn fish port management from them.  (CEBU NEWS)