Led by the Carbon-hanong Alyansa, various sectors and groups in Cebu City launched on April 11 a signature drive to gather 100,000 signatures for a petition opposing the privatization of Carbon Public Market.
The Carbon-hanong Alyansa said it will submit the petition to the Cebu City Council to demand legislative action and a review of the privatization scheme. Alliance partners include the Cebu Market Vendors Multipurpose Cooperative (CEMVEDCO), the Cebu City United Vendors Association (CCUVA), the Bato Ermita Community and Neighborhood Association Incorporated (BECANAI), and other groups in the signature campaign.
The alliance’s signature drive will run for a week. It will set up stations inside the market where groups will position the petition sheets and gather signatures.
Cebu2World Development Inc. (C2W) has privatized and assumed management of Carbon Market under its Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) with the local government of Cebu City. The local government signed the JVA with Megawide Construction Corporation on January 11, 2021, and transferred the agreement to C2W on May 27, 2021.
The market’s privatization will dispossess around 16,000 vendors and workers of their stalls and jobs. Rent fees are projected to increase while vendors will be crammed into smaller spaces. About 700 households in nearby Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita will also be demolished to clear the area for new construction.
The groups emphasized that asserting the market remain public is crucial now especially as the people face a worsening economic crisis. They said the market plays a vital role in ensuring that basic goods remain accessible and affordable.
The Carbon-hanong Alyansa’s signature campaign continues its efforts to defend the rights and welfare of vendors and residents in relation to the Carbon Public Market. The alliance launched a series of actions and protests in March to show unity against the market’s privatization.
The alliance remains undaunted amid the threats and harassment it faces for standing up for its rights. It denounced the wave of Red-tagging and “terrorist” labeling targeting those who oppose privatization.
Posters appeared in the Carbon Public Market on March 26 branding the group as “terrorists” and Red-tagging its members. The posters carried the contact numbers of the Philippine National Police Station 6 and Pasil Police Station, urging the public to report the alliance’s activities.
