Alcover blasts ‘chaotic and unauthorized’ distribution of night market slots

Local

WHO’s really in charge of Cebu City’s night market?

Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover raised this question as he blasted what he called the “chaotic and unauthorized” distribution of vendor slots. He said the distribution has been taken over by the Office of Muslim Affairs and Indigenous Cultural Communities (OMAICC) and newly formed groups.

This has happened instead of the Garbo Asenso Sumbanan Alyansa sa Sugbo (GASA), the body mandated to regulate vendors.

In a privilege speech at this week’s regular session, Alcover, chairman of the council’s committee on markets, hit Mayor Nestor Archival’s reported claim that coordinating with GASA would reduce the city’s collections.

“GASA was created not to collect revenue, but to serve as a mechanism for order, fairness, and social responsibility in regulating informal vendors,” Alcover said. “Revenue must never outweigh fairness.”

The councilor cited incidents of confusion and overcrowding during vendor slot assignments earlier this month, including a September 3 gathering at City Hall’s ninth floor, organized by OMAICC.

Alcover questioned the authority of OMAICC in using the Cebu City logo in official letters and in leading the slot distribution process.

He also flagged the sudden appearance of the Participative Association of Sugbo Vendors (PASV), which handed out application forms despite lacking clear accreditation.

Another group, Alkhayria Basak Mambaling, reportedly held a raffle for night market slots on September 9, with vendors allegedly asked to pay P6,000 monthly rentals, an arrangement Alcover described as questionable since “the slots belong to the city.”

“These things must be addressed… We cannot wait until blood is spilled just because groups are fighting over slots,” Alcover warned.

To restore order, Alcover urged Archival to convene GASA and let it perform its mandated role as the sole recommending body for night market participants.

He also sought an executive session with OMAICC, PASV, the Office of the City Market, the Business Permits and Licensing Office, the Traffic Management Committee, and other stakeholders to clarify authority and rules in the night market’s operations.

“Let us also remember that the Mayor’s brand of leadership, as repeatedly mentioned in several activities, to quote — “democratic and consultative governance,” Alcover said.(TGP)