Amid oil crisis, Cebu’s Carbon Market vendors face sinking profits

2026-03-27 - 11:20

CEBU, Philippines – Amid oil price hikes and a lack of customers, vendors at Cebu City’s Carbon Market have seen a drastic decrease in earnings. Fish vendors here expected prices to drop following the usual trends of the season, but instead are now spending more due to the rising cost of fish cart transportation. “Ang sweldo gamay na lang mahibilin. Dugang pa bugas pa, mahal. Ni saka pud. Mao na maluoy sad ta usahay na imbes makapakapin, di ta makapakapin kay tungod sa isda. Mahal,” fish vendor Josephine Salientes said. (There is little left in our salaries. Adding to the fact that rice prices have also increased. It’s pitiful that, instead of earning a little extra, this is not possible due to the fish. It’s expensive) Prior to the oil price hikes, fish cart transportation expenses used to cost around P15,000. As of this writing, the cost has doubled to P30,000. VENDORS. Ambulant fish vendors at the Carbon Market set up their stalls between 3 pm and 12 am, making most of their earnings in the late afternoons. Photo by Gwyneth Antonio/Rappler Salientes shared that her son had already stopped studying for the semester due to financial constraints, and if oil prices continue to rise, she would need her husband to also work instead of staying home to take care of their children. Many fish vendors have expressed dismay over their new ambulant stall positions at the Carbon Market, which have put them at a disadvantage due to the inaccessibility of their stall locations and limited selling hours. Prior to the modernization project, many fish and pork vendors were located near Freedom Park, where a majority of the marketgoers flock to buy groceries. Following the demolitions and relocations in July 2022, vendors are now stationed in front of the Unit 1 building, farther from Freedom Park. This means that usual customers would have to walk farther into the market. Also, vendors can only sell their fish from 3 pm to 12 am, as opposed to the usual stall hours from 4 am to 9 pm. Much like fish vendors, flower vendors at the Carbon Market face rising transport costs. Flower vendor Annabelle Olanolan told Rappler that many of her fellow vendors have had to pay more for flowers transported from various parts of the country. “Ang gikan sa Davao, gikan sa Manila, gikan sa Mantalongon [in Dalaguete], bisa’g asang lugar, mugamit jud na og gasolina (The ones from Davao, from Manila, from Mantalongon [in Dalaguete], any place, it would really use up gasoline),” Olanolan said. During peak seasons for flowers, such as Valentine’s, flower vendors can earn between P10,000 and P20,000 a day. When demand is low, they’re fortunate to sell one or two bundles — a bundle costs up to P500. According to Olanolan, sales have been slow in March, what with the lack of occasions and celebrations where flowers are given. “Nangayo gud ko’g snacks sa akong silingan (I had to ask for snacks from my neighbor),” Olanolan said. For the past three days, the flower vendor shared that she had not made any income. She was supposed to contribute to her child’s food allowance, but was now unable to do so due to poor sales. Flower vendor Mary Gabuna said she and her fellow vendors would have to wait for the tail end of the Lenten season and Holy Week for churches to begin bulk purchases of flowers from them. Until then, however, many vendors would have to accept that their stocks of flowers would probably decay due to the lack of demand. WAITING. Most vendors at Cebu’s Carbon Market wait for hours outside of peak seasons to make a single sale for a P500 bouquet. Photo by Gwyneth Antonio/Rappler “Huwat jud. [Pero] ang mga buwak, lugi na (We would have to wait. [But] the flowers, we’re at a loss already),” Gabuna said. By the end of the year, flower vendors and native goods sellers are expected to be relocated back to the newly renovated Freedom Park. The vendors feared that the stalls would be significantly smaller, resulting in lower storage space for their flowers. The Carbon Market, a vital trading hub for Cebu City vendors, has faced criticism years after the Cebu City government entered into an agreement with Cebu2World Development Inc. — a subsidiary of Megawide Construction Corporation — for its development. Since its initial rounds of demolition in 2022, vendors had had to relocate to other parts of the vicinity, such as the interim market. Others had to rent ambulant stalls permitted to sell only in the late afternoons and evenings. Vendors continue to call for the review of the agreement, with about 2,000 vendors and advocates gathering for a mass mobilization last March 17 to pressure the Cebu City Council to heed their calls. For Olanolan and Gabuna, the various changes brought about by oil price hikes and market development only brought more challenges to their families and livelihoods. When asked how they would make it through the upcoming days, Gabunan said: “Tanawn ni namo kung makaya, hilabi na ingon ibalhin nami. Tanawn ra.“ (We’ll see if we can still make it, especially since they said that they’re transferring us. We shall see.) – Gwyneth Antonio/Rappler.com Gwyneth Antonio is a Cebu-based Rappler intern and a senior anthropology student at University of San Carlos.