An ordinance is now underway to formalize the establishment of the ambulant vendors, a landing site for crops from the mountain areas, and the night fair in Carbon Market.
The measure, proposed by Cebu City Councilor Mikel Rama, seeks to preserve a decades-old trading tradition while addressing the mounting issues that have long surrounded ambulant vending.
Under Rama’s proposed ordinance, portions of Carbon’s streets will be officially allocated and regulated as vending zones where farmers, cooperatives, and accredited producers can unload and sell fresh agricultural products nightly.
The proposal recognizes Carbon as Cebu’s ‘bagsakan,’ the nightly landing site for vegetables, fruits, root crops, and flowers brought down from upland barangays and neighboring provinces.
It stated that while this tradition has provided affordable food to residents and sustained livelihoods for rural communities, it has also been plagued by concerns that the ordinance now seeks to address.
The Department of Public Services has previously flagged sanitation lapses, garbage left behind, clogged drainage canals, and rodent infestations.
Excessive fees have also been raised, alongside unauthorized collections and the construction of semi-permanent structures that obstruct sidewalks and emergency lanes.
Some vendor groups have also opposed the joint venture agreement between the city and Megawide’s Cebu2World, warning that privatization could displace ambulant vendors and reduce their numbers.
Relocated vendors, on the other hand, have reported fewer customers and shorter selling hours, further eroding their earnings.
Rama’s ordinance invokes Section 21(d) of the Local Government Code, which allows local governments to temporarily close streets for markets.
It emphasizes that vending sites authorized by ordinance are not illegal obstructions, protecting vendors from road-clearing operations.
The measure also sets strict rules on sanitation, traffic management, vendor accreditation, and penalties for violations, with the Market Operations Division designated as the supervising office.
During its introduction to the City Council, Rama moved for the joint referral of the measure to the Committee on Laws and the Committee on Markets. This ensures that the ordinance will be scrutinized both for legal soundness and its practical implications on market operations.
The timing is also crucial, as a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP), once envisioned as a central bagsakan hub, has been repurposed into an eco-station by Mayor Nestor Archival.