In defense of Carbon

The Carbon Public Market is a Cebuano heritage site. Its privatization to an entity foreign to Cebu is murdering Cebuano culture and soul.

Carbon is Cebu’s oldest market, although officially it was on May 13, 1964, by virtue of Proclamation No. 241, that President Diosdado Macapagal reserved for market site a parcel of land (5,685 square meters) of the public domain situated in Cebu City.

Carbon market was named during the early years of the American occupation as it became the site of the dumping of the carbon used by the Philippine Railway System in Cebu. Carbon is part of what was called the Lutao district (which includes Ermita). The marketplace predates the American occupation. It was already there during the Spanish occupation of Cebu. It was where the mother of Don Vicente Yap Sotto, by the name of Pascuala Yap, sold puso and fish and her husband, Marcelino Legaspi Sotto, worked as “kargador” of the port. The marketplace now known as Carbon became the Sotto couple’s ticket to a prosperous life, with sheer hard work and perseverance. Their story was and is just one of the thousand stories of Cebuano stakeholders in Carbon. Carbon, indeed, is a Cebuano heritage site, a soul of its culture and lifestyle. Privatizing Carbon, especially to a business entity foreign to Cebu is murdering Cebuano heritage.

Restructuring Carbon to a so-called modern facility akin to that of a mall is a distorted concept of progress. The tearing down of its old structures is defacing Cebu’s history. Let Carbon remain untouched to its rustic style of ambience. Introducing modern buildings and facilities is bastardizing and prostituting the simple and unadorned Carbon market.

The abrogation and surrender of Carbon to an entity foreign to Cebu, to a business conglomeration which has been questioned even by officials in Manila, is an attempt at decimating the Cebuano culture. The would-be “Masters of Carbon” would surely be the cause of the disintegration of the vendors, who are best suited to run the market, for how could they afford to pay the attendant increase of space rentals? It is depriving the ordinary Cebuano vendor and consumer of what Carbon for centuries offer.

It is a stupid justification that giving up Carbon to a business entity is for the good of the Cebuanos as it will earn profit to the city. This is outrageous. The very reason why government exists and depends on taxes is because it serves the constituency. It is not for profit, for if that is the case, then there would be no need for taxes and government would just rely on profits. Carbon was not founded on making Cebu City earn profits. Income for its maintenance, yes, but never a pretext on profit.

Is Cebu City in absence of wise men? Who could manage Carbon market? Why surrender Carbon to a business entity? Doing so is dereliction of duty. It is a betrayal of the trust of the Cebuanos. Long live the Cebuanos. We will defend Carbon, for it is one of the last standing armies of the Cebuano soul.