BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance granting an amnesty or relief to give chance to all qualified parties or individuals who were not able to meet the deadline set by the Baguio city Market Authority (BCMA) to apply for the transfer of leasehold rights over stalls at the city public market.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr. stated that an amnesty or relief will be granted to all applicants of transfer of leasehold rights of stalls in the city public market and that it shall only apply to applications for transfer of leasehold rights to the heirs or family members of the lessee due to his or her sickness, old age, incapacity or death.
The ordinance stipulated that the prescribed amnesty or relief shall be for a period of 6 months from the approval of the measure and all penalties, fines, surcharges, interests and arrears, if any, shall be paid within the amnesty period, otherwise, the application for transfer of leasehold rights shall be outrighlty rejected.
Under the provisions of the proposed ordinance, no public auction of stalls shall be held during the amnesty period to allow qualified parties and individuals to apply for the leasehold rights in lieu of their family members who were given the rights over the said stalls in the different parts of the market.
The ordinance added that the City Treasury Office shall be in charge of the preparation and processing of any compromise agreement together with the corresponding related documents by and between the applicants and the City Mayor and in behalf of the local government.
Ordinance No. 2000-001 was enacted by the City Council providing for a set of rules and regulations governing the administration, appraisal, assessment, levy and collection of realty taxes, business taxes, permit fees, building and lot rentals in the city and such other fees and charges pursuant to the provisions of the Local government Code of 1991.
Section 136 of the same ordinance provides for the creation of the Baguio City Market Authority (CBMA) which exercises direct and immediate supervision and control over the city public markets.
Yangot said in the previous years, the BCMA allowed transfer of leasehold rights only to heirs or family members of the leaseholder or lessee due to sickness, old age or even death of the leaseholder, however, in 2016, the BCMA approved Resolution No. 017, series of 2016 resolving among others that all applications for transfer or waiver of leasehold rights of stalls in the city market were denied.
After the passage of the resolution, the alderman revealed there were numerous applications for the transfer of leasehold rights by qualified transferees but the same were denied by the BCMA since they were considered late in filing their applications.
He underscored that the proposed local legislative measure aims to grant an amnesty for a limited period of time so that the so-called late comers but who are qualified as transferees of leasehold rights a chance to transfer in their names the leasehold rights over the stalls subject of their applications in consonance with the spirit of Section 158 of Tax Ordinance No. 2000-001.
By Dexter A. See
