Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival to renegotiate Carbon Market agreement on tariffs

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Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival says that if the agreement with the Carbon Market developer remains the same, the city can expect more expensive products in the future

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival said in a press conference on Tuesday, May 20, that he would aim to renegotiate the city’s agreement with the developers of the Carbon Market on its tariff policy in favor of local vendors. 

Archival, an incumbent city councilor, was proclaimed as the winner of the mayoral race in Cebu City on May 13, beating incumbent mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, ex-mayor Mike Rama, ex-customs commissioner Yogi Ruiz, and independent candidate Julieto Co.

The mayor-elect has been a close ally of the Carbon Market vendors who for years have been protesting against the increase of rental rates and tariffs at the market. On May 13, vendors rights group Carbonhanong Alyansa acknowledged, in a statement, Archival’s work as a public servant that “respected and understood their struggle.”

“What we’re going to do is sit down with Megawide and then, I would like to ask for something like a renegotiation,” Archival said during the presser.

In 2021, Megawide Construction Corporation, through its subsidiary Cebu2World, entered into a 50-year joint venture agreement with the Cebu City government to develop and operate the Carbon Market.

Vendors were against this, citing a possible increase in rental rates — management from Cebu2World previously denied this claim in an interview with Rappler. 

According to the Archival, Carbon Market vendors have to deal with costly tariffs. He explained that a single tub of fish can be charged a tariff of up to P300 per entry to the market.

The upcoming mayor expressed his dismay over the experience of local vendors who must pay the tariff and inevitably increase the price of their goods, affecting local consumers in the city.

Archival called the contract with Megawide “one-sided” but despite this, he acknowledged that it was already in effect and must be respected. 

“I think we need to renegotiate…If the contract would be the the same, we can expect that the Carbon Market is more expensive than that of the other small markets all over the city and this is not something good for us,” 

Alongside demands for an ordinance that defends vendor rights and legislation to declare the Carbon Market a heritage site, the Carbonhanong Alyansa also called for amendments to the joint venture agreement with hopes that it would bring back power to the public and ensure fair developments for the future.

Rappler visited the office of the Cebu2World at the Carbon Market to get a comment on the issue and was told that they would respond at a later date. – Rappler.com