Cebu City Council to look into Carbon deal

Local

THE debate over the Carbon Public Market redevelopment has moved from the streets to City Hall.

This follows the Cebu City Council's decision to hold a closed-door executive session to examine the joint venture agreement (JVA), which now faces legal and public challenges.

Minority Floor Leader Sisinio Andales delivered a privileged speech on Wednesday, Feb. 10, calling for a focused review of the agreement following two major developments: a silent protest by vendors and a petition filed before the Supreme Court by Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña questioning the JVA’s legality.

The executive session, scheduled for March 17, 2026, will not be open to the public.

In his speech, Andales framed the moment as one that demands institutional reflection.

“Our city witnessed an event that should give every one of us pause — a silent, peaceful rally,” he said, referring to the recent gathering of vendors at Carbon Market.

The rally, he said, was “not just an expression of opinion, but a powerful statement of a deep-seated anxiety and questions unanswered.”

At the same time, Osmeña filed a petition before the High Court challenging the legal foundation of the JVA governing the redevelopment of the city’s oldest public market.

“This is not a mere procedural objection,” Andales said. “It is a clarion call alleging potential infirmities in a contract that binds debate over the city’s oldest and most iconic public market.”

He described the protest and the petition as “symbiotic symptoms of a crisis of transparency, accountability, and consensus.”

Andales outlined specific issues he believes must be examined during the session.

These include the legal grounds cited in the vice mayor’s petition and their implications for the JVA’s validity; whether vendors’ and residents’ concerns are being addressed in the project’s implementation; the current financial and operational status of the redevelopment; and the strength of safeguards for public interest, fair compensation, and heritage preservation.

“We cannot address these profound issues through sound bites or piecemeal reports,” he said, adding that the matter requires “a forum of sober, focused, and confidential

discussion.”

Councilor Dave Tumulak seconded the motion to convene an executive session, which the body approved.

Councilor Mikel Rama, however, suggested that discussions avoid tackling issues currently pending before any court to prevent possible sub judice violations. The Council agreed to the limitation.

Under the approved motion, the Cebu City Council will invite key stakeholders to the executive session.

These include representatives of the joint venture partners; the City Legal Office, to present the legal context of the JVA and the pending Supreme Court petition; the president and vice president of the legitimate Carbon Market vendors’ association; and representatives from heritage and civil society groups monitoring the project.

Andales later amended his proposal to include the Cebu Port Authority and the Commission on Audit.

He also requested that only the identified vendor leaders be allowed inside the session hall during the executive session, with the sergeant-at-arms instructed to ensure order.

The Carbon redevelopment is being implemented through a public-private partnership between the Cebu City Government and Cebu2World Development Inc. (C2W), a subsidiary of Megawide Construction Corp.

Vendor opposition has intensified in recent weeks.

On February 5, groups led by the Carbonhanong Alliance staged a protest warning of steep increases in stall rentals and additional rules they say could push small vendors out of business.

Under City Ordinance 2719, rental rates are set to increase from P8.50 per stall to P21 per stall by 2026. C2W has informed the city that it will begin collecting market fees starting February 15, citing authority under the JVA and the amended market code.

Vendor leaders have questioned whether a private company can legally collect market rentals, arguing that such authority is reserved for local governments under the Local Government Code.

Osmeña’s petition before the Supreme Court likewise challenges the validity of the agreement.(TGP)