Vendors hope Carbon Market reverts to institutional status

CEBU, Philippines — The Association of Market Vendors is placing its hope in the new administration of Cebu City to revoke the commercial land-use status of Carbon Market and revert it back to institutional.

This change was previously lobbied by then-councilor, now mayor-elect, Nestor Archival before the City Council, but the proposal was rejected.

Erwin Goc-ong, head of the Cebu Market Vendors Multipurpose Cooperative (CMVMC), said that for the past three years, Archival had been advocating for the stallholders and vendors against the privatization plan. He added, however, that despite efforts to lobby for the protection of their welfare, Archival was mostly outnumbered in council votes.

With Archival’s win, Goc-ong said they are hoping for a “significant change” that may impact the landscape of Carbon. He further stated that once the new administration takes office this June, they will re-lobby for the revocation of the land-use status, as well as propose amendments to the new rates and the collection of fees currently handled by a third party.

“We just wait for the dust to settle and listen first to the policy direction of the new administration but we are very hopeful for a better Cebu particularly Carbon,” said Goc-ong.

On December 11, 2025, the Cebu City Council denied the revocation of the zoning classification of the city’s public market and retained its commercial land-use status, despite opposition from Carbon Market vendors.

During the discussion, Archival raised a motion to revoke the resolution supporting the reclassification, which was authored by Councilor Jerry Guardo on November 6, 2024. The resolution also permits Cebu2World Development Inc. to proceed with the construction of Cebu Market Development Phase 1B, Barracks, at Carbon Market.

In the same discussion, Councilor Philip Zafra explained that although they acknowledge the vendors’ concerns, the technicalities of the institutional land use in the area are intended for Freedom Park, not solely for the vendors.

He added that the reclassification to commercial use was meant to "correct" the designation so that it reflects the current use of the area, which is now functioning as a market. Zafra emphasized, however, that it is the responsibility of legislation to ensure that vendors are protected and will not face a surge in rental fees.

Archival also stated that he had requested the complementary development plan for Carbon Market, which has yet to be presented to the council. He raised concerns about the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA), particularly regarding the Freedom Park, which is supposed to remain unchanged.

Since the commercial reclassification of Carbon Market, Goc-ong revealed that several members have suffered economically due to low profits.

“Meaning, wala na maninda, wala na kabayad sa monthly dues, obligations, ilang mga pwesto gibyaan na,” Goc-ong explained.

He said this is due to competition from private vendors operating at The Barracks. According to him, there is an agreement prohibiting Carbon vendors from selling products that are also being sold at The Barracks.

Goc-ong stressed that the competition brought by The Barracks has severely affected the vendors. He added that their cooperatives have been creating their own initiatives to mitigate the impact of this “commercialization.”

Since then, according to Goc-ong, around 50 vendors have withdrawn their membership and have been affected by the transition.

In addition, Goc-ong said the electricity rates for vendors inside the interim building are significantly higher than before. He attributed this to the electricity being provided by a private sector partner.

Furthermore, Goc-ong said they have been requesting more parking spaces, which are now also being managed by a private partner under a JVA.

“It has given us a bright hope for tomorrow,” said Goc-ong, referring to Archival’s win.

He added that they have been advocating to retain Carbon Market as it is, emphasizing its role as a leading agri-aqua-culture products trading center for the Visayas and Mindanao --an important factor for food security and the regional supply chain.

CMVMC is said to be one of the biggest vendors’ cooperatives in Cebu City, accredited by the Cebu City Government and a member of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 13 years. Currently, Goc-ong said they have at least 1,300 active vendor members. — BRP (CEBU NEWS)