Mayor appeals for rental discounts

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong appealed to Real Estate Lessors (REL) in the city to consider giving discounts to their tenants in view of efforts to re-establish economic stability through “baby steps.”

The mayor made the appeal as the country reels from diminishing income in the tourism and tourism-related sector, as a new Covid-19 variant emerged.

The city’s tourist-drawing occasion Baguio Flower Festival or the Panagbenga originally planned to open February 1 was also postponed. It should have been the Panagbenga’s 26th year of existence.

RELs include boarding houses and dormitories which for now have students studying online, albeit in less numbers than in the past years.

Thus, the mayor requested owners of houses for rent, and business establishments to re-examine options as to lessening the burden of rentals to tenants.

Last year, the City Council approved Ordinance No. 54, series of 2020 for commercial and private establishments, city-owned properties, the public market and parks to re-negotiate payments in view of the city being under Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Other RELs, voluntarily waived rentals considering the loss of income of their tenants; which included laborers, tourism-related workers, and students. – Julie G. Fianza