- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Manokan Country tenants, who still failed to settle their delinquent accounts as of the Sept. 30 deadline, will be closed Monday, Oct. 3, Mayor Alfredo Benitez said.
Seventeen tenants were issued final notice Aug. 26 that they only have until the end of September to settle their arrears, totaling to P8.6 million, as of end July.
Councilor Celia Flor, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Markets and Slaughterhouse, who have been initiating dialogues with the vendors, said that three of the 17 tenants have fully paid their arrears, amounting to P1.3 million, as of Sept. 28.
There were others who went to the City Treasurer’s Office to beat the deadline, and Flor said she encouraged the vendors to settle at least 20 percent of their arrears so the city might reconsider and allow them to continue operation and pay their debts on a staggered basis.
She said it is up to the City Legal Office’s assessment on how many stalls will be closed Monday.
Benitez said the city might give consideration to tenants who settled most of their arrears. But if it’s just token payment, they will be closed by Monday, he added.
The delinquent stall lessees may also face legal action for violation of City Ordinance No. 565, series of 2011, or the revised Local Revenue Code of Bacolod.
CTO records show that each tenant has a monthly rental of P2,250, except for one that’s renting the place for P17,500 a month.
Aside from the delinquent accounts, two tenants were also given final notice for failure to secure the latest business permit for their operations, the CTO said./CGC
