BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan warned market stallholders against the alleged sub-leasing of stalls in the different parts of the public market considering the ongoing campaign of the local government to rid the market of such illegal practice.
The local chief executive claimed that the recent conduct of the public bidding of stalls which were recently discovered to have been sub-leased should serve as a stern warning against legitimate stallholders from being tempted to sub-lease their stalls simply for the desire of guaranteed income instead of being burned to manage their awarded stalls.
“We were able to discover a number of sub-leased stalls in the different parts of the city public market that is why the local government was constrained to include the sub-leased stalls as part of the market stalls that were bidded out,” Mayor Domogan stressed.
He admitted that the issue on the alleged sub-leasing of stalls in the city public market had been an issue that confronted his administration through the years but concerned offices of the local government had difficulties in finding sufficient pieces of evidence that will cause the outright cancellation of the award made to a stallholder once it will be found out that the same was sub-leased to another individual which is contrary to the award of the rights to operate the market stalls being given by the city.
According to him, it is clear in the condition of the award made to the stallholders that the same should not be sub-leased but it is unfortunate that there are still numerous stallholders who continue to sub-lease their stalls when in fact what was only given to them by the local government is their right to operate such stalls.
The outgoing mayor stated that the local government will not hesitate to cancel the award that was made to stallholders once they are found to have sub-leased their awarded stalls and subject the same to public bidding so that the same will be awarded to individuals who are interested to operate the said stalls without sub-leasing the same.
He claimed that market stallholders are so lucky because the local government did not increase the existing market rentals that is why they are actually paying minimal rental fees to the city that is why he is wondering why some of the stallholders are still inclined in sub-leasing their stalls to interested parties.
The rentals of stalls in the city public market is one of the sources of income of the local government that is used to bankroll the implementation of priority development projects and enhance the delivery of basic services to the people.
Domogan said that a number of stallholders who were found to have sub-leased their stalls in the city public market approached him and sought reconsideration of the decision of the Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) to bid out their stalls but he could not unilaterally decide on the matter, thus, the public bidding of the stalls pushed through recently.
He urged the public who have knowledge and possess pieces evidence on sub-leased stalls in the public market to provide the concerned offices with the same so that appropriate action will be done against the stallholders who continue to blatantly violate the prescribed rules and regulations in the award of stalls in the city market for individuals to operate and not to sub-lease.
By Dexter A. See
