The long-running night market at Carbon Public Market, where farmers bring fresh produce before dawn and consumers buy fruits and vegetables at lower prices, may soon receive formal recognition under a proposed Cebu City ordinance.
Councilor Mikel Francisco Rama has filed a measure seeking to designate parts of the Carbon Market area as the city’s official “Ambulant Vendors and Mountain Products Landing and Night Market.”
The proposed ordinance aims to preserve the decades-old trading practice while placing the activity under a regulated system that addresses concerns involving traffic, sanitation, public safety, and road clearing.
If approved, the measure would identify portions of Manalili, Plaridel, Lincoln, Progreso, F. Gonzales, M.C. Briones, Calderon, and M.L. Quezon streets, as well as other areas covered by the city’s Market Code, as temporary landing and vending sites.
The proposed night market would operate daily from 5:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. the following day.
Rama said parts of the Carbon Market area have served for more than five decades as trading spaces for fruits, vegetables, flowers, root crops, and other agricultural products brought by farmers from Cebu’s upland communities and nearby areas.
He said the night market has helped provide affordable agricultural products to consumers while supporting the livelihood of farmers, traders, vendors, transport operators, and other stakeholders.
“The continued operation of such traditional night market has provided affordable agricultural products to consumers while generating livelihood opportunities for farmers, traders, vendors, transport operators, and other stakeholders,” the proposed ordinance stated.
The measure cited Section 21(d) of the Local Government Code, which allows local government units to temporarily regulate the use of public streets for flea markets, night markets, shopping areas, and similar activities through an ordinance.
It also noted that the Department of the Interior and Local Government recognizes vending areas authorized through local ordinances as not constituting illegal obstructions during road-clearing operations.
Under the proposal, priority for vending spaces would be given to farmers, farmers’ cooperatives, accredited agricultural producers, agricultural wholesalers, and existing legitimate vendors operating in the area.
Qualified vendors must undergo screening and registration through the Cebu City Vendors Registration and Welfare Council established under City Ordinance No. 2586, Series of 2020.
Each registered vendor would be assigned only one vending space measuring up to two meters by two meters.
The proposal prohibits vendors from transferring, leasing, selling, or assigning their vending privileges to other individuals.
It also identifies prohibited activities, including building permanent or semi-permanent structures, blocking sidewalks, intersections, drainage canals, fire exits, loading areas, and emergency lanes, selling outside assigned spaces, leaving garbage after operations, selling prohibited goods, and obstructing pedestrian or vehicle movement.
Vendors would be required to maintain cleanliness, practice waste segregation, provide garbage containers, follow food safety rules, and clean their assigned areas before leaving.
The Department of Public Services and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office would conduct inspections, while the Cebu City Transportation Office, Cebu City Police Office, and Bureau of Fire Protection would assist in traffic management, safety enforcement, and emergency access.
The Market Operations Division would serve as the lead office in implementing the ordinance in coordination with barangays, vendors’ groups, and other city offices.
The measure also allows the City Council to impose regulatory fees through a separate revenue ordinance based on recommendations from the City Treasurer and Market Operations Division.
Violations would carry escalating penalties, starting with a written warning for the first offense, suspension of vending privileges for up to 30 days for the second offense, and permanent disqualification from the night market for succeeding violations.
The city may also remove unauthorized structures or obstructions at the owner’s expense.
If approved, the ordinance would establish the first formal legal framework governing Carbon’s traditional night market, aiming to balance the livelihood of farmers and vendors with the city’s efforts to improve sanitation, traffic management, and public safety.
The proposal has been filed before the Cebu City Council and will undergo committee deliberations before further legislative action.
Photo by Jacq Hernandez
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