BUGUIAS, Benguet April 06 – The municipal government decided to waive the collection of rentals being paid by lessees of market stalls and public buildings being leased out by the local government during the implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine to allow lessees to be able to recover from the economic slump created by the government’s unrelenting fight against the dreaded Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019.
Mayor Ruben Tindaan directed the municipal treasury office to stop the collection of the rentals from lessees of market stalls, and the spaces being leased out by the local government in public buildings starting march 16 to April 13, 2020 considering the negative effect of the enhanced community quarantine to the economic activities of people that also affected the business activities in the municipality considering the virtual stoppage of the sources of livelihood of the people.
He added that the reprieve in the collection of rentals by the local government is part of the recommended interventions that will help ease the burden of the enhanced community quarantine to the people doing business in the market and other public buildings in the locality.
However, he stated that the reprieve on the collection of lease rentals by the local government until April 13, 2020 will still depend on the decision of the inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases whether or not to extend the ongoing Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine.
According to him, the local government will be issuing the appropriate advises from time to time as soon as the inter-agency task force shall have formulated the pertinent guidelines on the latest steps that should be undertaken by the government to strengthen the fight against the deadly virus which has affected the global economy over the past several months.
Earlier, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) central office formulated the necessary guidelines governing the collection of rentals by real estate lessors and owners of commercial buildings leased to micro- small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) where the prescribed rent during the enhanced community quarantine but the same will be spread out during a 6-month period to allow the affected businesses to be able to recover from the economic slump once the quarantine will be lifted.
Tindaan said that the reprieve on the collection of rentals and daily taxes from the lessees of market stalls and spaces in public buildings in the different parts of the municipality is one of the recommended solutions to help business owners in the municipality recover from the economic slump that was caused by the sudden stoppage of business activities due to the implementation of the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine.
He expressed his gratitude to the barangay officials and residents of the different barangays for their utmost understanding and cooperation to the stringent policies being imposed by the task force and the local government to ensure that the contagious virus will not unnecessarily spread in the locality which will create more serious problems for the concerned authorities instead of solving the root cause of the pandemic.
Buguias is one of the province’s five first-class municipalities that rely on vegetable farming as the main source of income of the people living in the different barangays.
By Dexter A. See
