Taken by itself and out of context, Cebu City Councilor Mikel Rama’s proposal for an ordinance formalizing a night market for ambulant Carbon market vendors is a universe away from dissipating the economic uncertainty the latter are facing. Hence, I am not wasting time to dissect it for whatever positive features it might contain. A night market in the context of a joint venture agreement (JVA) that effectively privatizes Carbon market is solving the problem backwards.
One cannot discount the possibility that Councilor Rama, son of former mayor Mike Rama, could be looking for ways to get his father, and concerned councilors, off the hook of the Commission on Audit’s (COA) report. It is too facile and presumes ambulant vendors are simple-minded and could be tricked into accepting what on closer examination is nothing more than a devious way of skirting the issue and delaying the inevitable voidance of the JVA.
Just how does Councilor Rama expect Cebu City to pass and implement such an ordinance when it no longer controls Carbon market? By virtue of the JVA, this is effectively in private hands and judging by the heavy construction that is going on, it is plain as day who is in control. Not the City definitely.
The vendors’ demand is for Cebu City to rescind the JVA and Councilor Rama counters with an offer to formalize a night market for them. This is not concern but condescension and a belittling of the collective mind of ambulant vendors. It also belittles the mind of the Save Carbon Public Market Movement (SCPMM) that has agreed with the vendors that the ultimate solution to the latter’s problem is the voidance of the JVA.
There is no stopping the deluge of protests against the privatization of Carbon Public Market. Originally, the bigger public’s motive behind their opposition to Carbon’s privatization was simple concern for the right of ambulant vendors to a livelihood and for the Cebu community’s right to affordable food and basic commodities. There is now the added motive of taking to task those officials who signed the JVA and those who are not working for its voidance. They are clearly in violation of their oath of office to serve the bigger public and not big business.
The privatization issue of Carbon market has awakened the public to their responsibility of overseeing their elected officials. Many of them are not performing because the public hasn’t been watchful. That absence of watchfulness ends with Carbon market’s privatization.
There is no debate on the need to modernize Carbon market. But, as city officials are finding out, they cannot modernize Carbon by shirking on the responsibility to do it themselves. Modernizing it by relinquishing control in favor of a private business enterprise is not consonant with their duty to serve the bigger public.
Nor can the present batch of councilors dismiss the issue as the problem only of the councilors that signed the JVA. This is an anomaly they have a duty to make right. Councilor Rama’s proposed ordinance does nothing towards that goal. It is a lame gambit in the City’s life and death game with the vendors.