Unfinished Pasil Fish Port utilized as temporary fish market

CEBU CITY (Oct. 30, 2022) – The City started to utilize Saturday the supposed planned bagsakan at the unfinished Pasil Fish Port for fish vendors.

A priest blessed the temporary market before the fish vendors moved in from the previous temporary market at what was the Pasil Children’s Park that Mayor Mike Rama established during his previous term.

Like the fish port, the Pasil Fish Market remains unfinished and could not yet be utilized. Both are projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Mayor Rama, his special assistant Atty. Jerone G. Castillo and Suba barangay captain Joel “Jojo” Sable graced the blessing Saturday noon, according to Eng’r. Robert “Bob” L. Barquilla.

Rama designated Barquilla as point person to move the fish vendors from the children’s park and utilize the unfinished fish port as temporary market. Sable helped facilitate the transfer of the vendors, mostly his constituents.

Barquilla told Cebu City News his main objective is to breathe life back to the Pasil Children’s Park to provide the children in barangays Suba, Sawang Calero, Pasil, San Nicolas Proper and Pahina San Nicolas a safe place to play.

“Tuyo ug tumong sa atong Mayor nga mabalik ang hawanan nga kadulaan sa mga kabataan nga dili angay maguol ang ilang mga ginikanan kay ang maong dapit luwas man ug binantayan pa sa atong kapolisan ug mga tanod,” he said.

As the Mayor, Barquilla thanked the DPWH team under Eng’r. Yusoph Rasuman, the Cebu City district engineer, for agreeing last month to utilize the unfinished fish port as temporary market.

The fish vendors will in time be housed at the actual Pasil Fish Market once DPWH completes the project. Also, when the Pasil Fish Port is completed, the bagsakan at South Road Properties (SRP) will be transferred to its intended place.

Christmas

Barquilla said the composite team he leads will start on Nov. 2 to clear and demolish structures at the previous temporary fish market to restore the Pasil Children’s Park.

“Children should be able to play there by Dec. 1, just in time for the Christmas holidays,” he said.

The City will restore the Pasil Children’s Park through public-private partnership (PPP), he said, adding the Mayor has again tapped Eng’r. Apollo “Cocoy” S. Enriquez, Jr. who first consolidated resources to put up the previous park.

Enriquez, chair of the Board of Civil Engineering of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), is expected to pool resources from his professional circles and Junior Chamber International (JCI) Senate that he served before as Cebu chapter president and national president.

In his message after the blessing yesterday, Rama acknowledged the renewed support of Enriquez, president of AS Enriquez Engineering Consultancy and husband of City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez.

Barquilla acknowledged the support of the San Nicolas Police Station, and the cooperation of the fish vendors and the dwellers at the unfinished fish port who posed no resistance in moving out and returning to their homes.

He said his team had to demolish some structures inside the fish port, and cleared the road around the facility, then prepared the stalls preparatory to yesterday’s blessing.

Barquilla also serves the city as executive director of the local housing board, and administrator for human settlement.

He handled the re-blocking operations during Rama’s previous terms as Mayor under the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP). # (PIO/cte)