Carbon vendors and residents announced a Carbon vendors’ strike starting today, January 24, to oppose their scheduled transfer in line with the Carbon “modernization” project of the Megawide Construction Corporation and the Cebu City government.
The vendors will stop selling goods to show their opposition.
According to the Movement Against Carbon Market Privatization (MACMP), the vendors are scheduled to be transferred to the interim structure starting tomorrow in preparation for the ribbon cutting on January 28.
The vendors’ alliance said that vendors are being evicted by the Cebu City Prevention Restoration Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) head and new Market Operations Division (MOD) administrator Raquel Arce.
They were told that they would not be given a space at the interim structure if they do not voluntarily demolish their stalls and transfer.
“Dili makatarunganon ang pagpatawag og meeting ni PROBE Head ug Market Administrator Raquel Arce niadtong Enero 21 sa mga vendors kung diin siya mismo ang nangusog nga ipabalhin ang manindahay didto sa Interim Structure ug matod pa niya wala na’y mabuhat ang katawhan. Tataw kini nga porma sa pagpabugnaw ug pagpaluya sa katawhang nakigbisog,” MACMP wrote in a post.
(It is not justifiable that PROBE head and Market Administrator Raquel Arce called for a meeting with the vendors where she pushed for their transfer to the interim structure and that, according to her, the people can no longer do anything about it. This is an obvious form of weakening the people opposing [the project].)
The construction of the interim structure, located at Unit II of Carbon Public Market, has not been completed, resulting to a lack of basic services such as water and comfort rooms.
The Carbon vendors called for support from the general public for their strike.
