City Council approves revised zoning ordimance, frustrates Carbon vendors

Local

A STORM of discontent erupted Wednesday, June 25, as the Cebu City Council approved on third and final reading the revised zoning ordinance authored by outgoing Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera

This, despite loud objections from vendor groups and civil society organizations, who accused Mayor-elect Nestor Archival and allied councilors of “betraying public trust.”

The ordinance, which updates the city’s decades-old Zoning Ordinance No. 1656 to align with its recently approved Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), is now pending the signature of outgoing Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia.

The CLUP is a required document for cities seeking major investments, development grants, and infrastructure loans from national and international bodies.

But for Carbon Market vendors and community leaders who called for a deferment of the measure, the ordinance’s passage, just five days before a new administration takes over, felt like being “left in the dark” by the very leaders who once promised to protect them.

“All we asked was time to review the ordinance, not even for disapproval, just more time,” said Bimbo Fernandez of Pagtambayayong.

Fernandez and dozens of vendors walked out of the council session as soon as the ordinance was approved.

Archival, who had publicly stated just a day earlier that he would request a deferment of the ordinance, was noticeably absent during the crucial session.

He left the session hall before the discussions began and never returned.

This left vendor leaders feeling blindsided, especially after expressing hope that the incoming administration would be more sympathetic to their concerns.

“Atleast we know now that we have been betrayed by the council, most especially by Nestor Archival and BOPK councilors,” Fernandez said.

In a June 24 press conference, leaders from groups such as CEMVEDCO, CCUVA, and the Urban Poor Alliance urged the council to hold off on the ordinance until the new officials could conduct proper consultations.

They questioned the rush, especially since some councilors had earlier indicated that final deliberations would be left to the next administration.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, the outgoing legislator who authored the revised ordinance, said the changes were essential and long overdue.

She noted that while the CLUP had been approved in 2006, only its maps were adopted, rendering its application vague and outdated.

“Considering that the DSHUD already approved the CLUP, it is imperative for the City Council to make the necessary amendments to the zoning ordinance so as to be able to incorporate the necessary regulations,” Pesquera said.

City Planning Office Assistant Head Ann Marie Cuizon echoed that without the updated CLUP and zoning ordinance, Cebu risks losing millions in funding and falling into unregulated urban sprawl.

But groups like CEMVEDCO and Pagtambayayong have long argued that the ordinance lacked proper consultation, especially with stakeholders in public markets like Carbon, which vendors fear could now be fully privatized.

Erwin Goc-ong of CEMVEDCO even questioned the legal basis for declaring the Carbon Market a commercial zone.

He cited documents indicating

that the private contractor involved had to apply for a zoning variance, suggesting that the original classification was not commercial at all.

“If Carbon was already commercial, why apply for a zoning variance?” Goc-ong asked. “We see this as a sign that we are slowly being pushed out.”

In a separate interview on Tuesday, Archival defended the ordinance and dismissed claims that he had betrayed the city’s marginalized sectors.

“This [CLUP] has been studied for more than three years. There are many opportunities we’d miss without it,” he said.

He insisted that Carbon Market has always operated commercially, and that the updated CLUP would make development more efficient and less reliant on case-by-case variances.

Still, Archival had promised to ask Pesquera to delay the vote.

“Ako ingon, akong hangyoon si Kons Joy Pesquera nga i-delay nato na…but the betrayal, ngano gud tawon magsulti siya ana?” he said.

But his absence during the vote contradicted that promise, which left groups feeling let down before he even steps into office.(TGP)