CEBU CITY – A coalition of local event organizers and suppliers are up in arms about the move of a major hotel here to tap an exclusive entity for event-related technical services.

The Cebu City Suppliers and Event Organizers (CCSEO) urged Mayor Nestor Archival to step in and help resolve the issue.

CCSEO representatives Karl Echiverri of Power Link, Charmagne Ferenal-Tanseco and Pinky Ferenal-Chio of Events Beyond Compare, and Von Tanseco of Vibe Craft Audio complained that they were placed at a disadvantage when the hotel tapped a Cagayan de Oro City-based event provider as its exclusive supplier for events at the hotel’s grand ballroom.

CCSEO said they have clients who preferred to tap them but was forced to instead engage with the hotel’s exclusive supplier.

The group also appealed to the hotel management to honor existing contracts or bookings made with clients before the Jan. 15 implementation of the restriction.

The group said the restriction imposed by the hotel is “particularly concerning given that large-scale events, weddings, expos, conferences, and concerts in Cebu” are most held at the hotel’s grand ballroom.

The group said the issue is not just about income that is lost because of the exclusive arrangements.

“As time goes by, we are not only losing income, but also morale. It is discouraging to see years of effort and investment sidelined, not because of performance or quality but simply due to exclusive arrangements that leave no room for choice. The situation has quietly taken a toll on many small and medium enterprises who only wish to compete fairly and continue serving the Cebu market,” the group said.

The group emphasized that while it was the hotel’s right to manage its operations, policies that remove client choice and systemically exclude local suppliers raise serious concerns on fairness, competition, and their broader economic impact on the city.

As the group sought the intervention of Archival and the Philippine Competition Commission, it pushed the protection of client choice for pre-existing bookings.

The group pointed out that there are clients who tap partners for their expertise and long-standing relationships are now being forced to tap the exclusive supplier tapped by the hotel.

The group is also pushing for the honoring of contracts for “in-pipeline” projects. The suppliers appealed for the venue to allow the completion of all existing contracts and projects currently in the pipeline to prevent an immediate and devastating economic impact on the local event sector.

“We therefore humbly request the assistance of your office in reviewing this matter and exposing measures that would promote transparency, fair competition, and equal opportunity for Cebu based suppliers, especially in venues that host large-scale and high-impact events,” the group said in their letter to Archival.