Following the proposal by City Market Operations Division head Irvin Cabales to again hold the Night Market traditionally held on Colon Street toward the end of each year, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has put his foot down on the request.
The mayor said he is taking into consideration the fact that there is still a pandemic going on.
“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,” he said during a press conference yesterday.
True enough, the cons outweigh the pros this year for the holding of the Night Market.
It is true that the night market could have helped many vendors by providing an occasion for them to augment their income. If the lockdowns this year really had an impact on the earnings of big business --even forcing some of them to shut down due to losses-- imagine how much the micro businesses suffered.
It is also true that many people could use the simple joy of walking around the downtown area, enjoying the company of others, eating food they have come to love. Nothing beats the simple joys of life after all. And considering what we all have been through this year, even the simplest of joys are in serious shortage right now.
However, despite those truths, there are also two other facts that are hard to dispute; first is that there is still the pandemic going on, second is that we really cannot expect people to observe quarantine protocols during such an event as the Night Market.
Let’s be honest here, many of us have a problem with discipline. When we think the situation is no longer dangerous we let our guard down. Many of us are also prone to a herd mentality. If we see that others are doing something, even if we know that that act is unsafe, then that act becomes acceptable to some extent.
We are all guilty of this at one point or another. It’s typical human behavior after all.
So if the Night Market was really held, we can only imagine that COVID-19 cases will spike again.
So while the Night Market may actually be good for just some of us, it will be best for practically all of us if we just forego it this year.