• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The City Market Committee will accept until Sept. 20 the application of vendors seeking stalls in any of the three main markets of Bacolod.
City Administrator, Atty. Mark Steven Mayo, emphasized that all documentation must be finalized within this week, as the city government will not extend the submission deadline.
“The deadline is mandated and sanctioned by the Market Amnesty Ordinance so there will be no extension. Only those with an extension, subject to a compromise agreement on their payment settlement, are covered, but all initial requirements must be submitted prior to Sept. 20,” he said.
Mayo said existing stall awardees applying under the amnesty ordinance will have all accumulated interest, charges, and penalties on their rental arrears completely waived.
He added that non-awardee actual occupants will receive dual benefits, allowing them to officially transfer the stall award to their name in city records while also qualifying for the amnesty program.
“This is one way to formalize and legitimize the management inside the public markets because many of the original awardees have been gone for a long time; some have even gone abroad, and the actual occupants selling there right now are still not officially registered with the city,” Mayo added.
He said that around 3,000 stall slots are available across Libertad, Central, and Burgos public markets, while the total number of applicant-vendors currently exceeds 3,000. | TMD
