New pitch for Carbon under review

CEBU, Philippines — A joint venture committee is winding up its review on another proposal seeking to modernize Cebu City’s Carbon Public Market.

Megawide Construction Corp. submitted the unsolicited proposal to the Cebu City Government last year, expressing its intention to renovate and restore Compania Maritima and to modernize Freedom Park, which includes parts of the Carbon market.

Financial news website Bloomberg says Megawide Construction operates as an infrastructure construction company and is based in Quezon City. It constructs residential and commercial buildings, airport infrastructures, and renewable energy plants.

It is part of the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., the consortium formed to manage and develop the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Jonil Matuguina, city market administrator, said that the proposal is being reviewed by the city’s technical working group of the joint venture committee and is now under “finishing touches”.

“The proposal is in the joint venture selection committee. Mura og naa na sila sa finishing touches ang ilang gibuhat,” said Matuguina.

Matuguina said Megawide may be given the original proponent status (OPS), and once this happens, similar proposals from other firms may not be entertained.

It can be recalled that SM Prime Holdings Inc. also pitched in last year to develop the entire Carbon Public Market into a “modern” one.

As for Megawide’s proposal, it plans to construct a new market building that will accommodate ambulant vendors occupying the sidewalks at Carbon.

“They (Megawide) are considering the number of these vendors day and night. In fact, they solicited data from us because they want to accommodate all the vendors. Wala’y ma-left out,” said Matuguina.

Carbon is home to about 1,300 stall owners and at least 5,000 ambulant vendors, including those operating at the existing night market.

Matuguina said that the project will entail no costs to the city government and the same amount of market fees will be collected from the vendors.

In addition, the city will still exercise control and management over the new market.

“Megawide has done several consultations before going to the city government,” said Matuguina. “Ila giuna og consult ang mga vendors and from there, nag-solicit og ideas.”

After the consultation, he added, proponents saw the problem in the vending spaces, which is why they would want to renovate the existing market buildings.

Matuguina said the city has suggested to Megawide building a bagsakan center for the farmers coming from the province and the mountain barangays of the city.

This center, he said, would help farmers sell their produce or goods to the public at cheaper prices because no middlemen would be involved in this arrangement.

“Megawide is open to suggestions kung naa mi ganahan ipa-incorporate nila. We suggested the bagsakan center for the farmers from Cebu province and Cebu City mountain barangays and they are open to that,” said Matuguina.

In September last year, Mayor Edgardo Labella revealed at SM Prime also proposed to construct a modern three-story building at Carbon market.

He said this “modern” structure will accommodate stalls, parking areas, “bagsakan” or a place where goods are delivered, and commercial spaces.  JMD (FREEMAN)