CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has denied the proposal of the City Market Operations Division (CMOD) to reopen the night market, even with some restrictions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I will deny the request for the establishment of a night market. I will not agree to that. There will be no night market in the City of Cebu,” said Labella in a press conference yesterday.
Labella said the main reason for his disapproval is to protect the health of the residents of the city.
“There is no assurance that the minimum health protocols, especially the (disallowance of) mass gathering and social distancing will be observed, especially that it is night, it is evening,” Labella explained.
Based on the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) data, the total COVID-19 cases in the city is at 10,582 with 371 active cases. Total number of recoveries is at 9,529 and the total deaths are pegged at 682, as of Sunday, November 22, 2020.
“I've also noticed that a great number of those that will be selling in the night market are not the displaced vendors of the city. What is important is that if at all, it should all be the displaced vendors,” said Labella.
In the proposal of CMOD, one of the restrictions is to limit the number of vendors to just a little over 300 instead of the usual over 400 to comply with physical distancing requirements.
In the previous year, vendors who were displaced from the streets during clearing operations were prioritized for the night market.
“Anyway, we are working on a possible win-win solution of our sidewalk vendors because as I've said there has to be a balancing (act). Of course, the authority of the local government is to promote the welfare, the peace and order on one hand and on the other hand, the local government must also see to it that livelihood of people are not prejudiced,” said Labella.
“We are continuously undertaking many meetings and sessions nga kinahanglan makakita ta'g paagi nga win-win solution. Definitely, para nako ang night market is not one of the solutions,” he said. — JMD (FREEMAN)