Forums on the Carbon Public Market redevelopment were conducted in June 2022 in the project areas. The forums greatly enlightened the women regarding the infrastructure project. Although Minglanilla and San Fernando are far from Cebu City and the residents here generally are not vendors in the Carbon Public Market and are not directly affected by the redevelopment, the leaders of the women’s organizations believed that it is necessary for them to know the facts and progress of this multi-million infrastructure project.
The Carbon Market, the city’s oldest and biggest wet market is where different food products and goods are brought from different parts of Cebu Province and the country and distributed to other parts. Furthermore, by knowing about the privatization of the Carbon Public Market, the women in Minglanilla and San Fernando can relate their own infrastructure and reclamation projects that shall destroy their homes and livelihoods with other infrastructure projects in other parts of Cebu.
Speakers invited to the forums on Ann Lariosa, Joy Orlanes and Winnie Miro of the Carbohanong Alyansa or Carbonhanong Alyansa alang sa Reporma ug Bahandianong Ogma sa mga Nanginabuhi which is the main opposition group of vendors against the project.
The speakers explained to the women regarding the project. Last January 2021, infrastructure developer Megawide Construction Corporation signed a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with the Cebu City Government for the P5.5-billion redevelopment package of the Carbon Public Market.
The Megawide Corporation shall modernize, commercialize and privatize the Carbon Public Market and convert it into a luxurious business center that comprises of commercial hubs, a lifestyle village with shops and restaurants, and a hotel. According to the JVA, the Megawide will charge rental fees for their stalls, entrance fees and maintenance fees which the vendors said are too exorbitant for them to pay, so that they have to increase the prices of their goods which will also adversely affect the consumers who have to pay more.
The speakers claim that the privatization will have negative repercussions in terms of increased cost of goods sold in the market which are bought by businesses and sold in the towns including Minglanilla and San Fernando.
The small food and dry goods vendors claim that they will be forced to rent spaces in the luxurious business center instead of staying in their present simple stalls and the vendors groups protest that they cannot afford the rental fees.
The forums gained the sympathy and support of the residents of the Minglanilla and San Fernando women’s organizations and Sawang Calero and Suba women’s organizations.
