BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Market Authority (BCMA) issued a stern warning against unscrupulous stallholders within the city public market and the Slaughterhouse Compound from sub-leasing their awarded stalls because the city government is ready to institute appropriate measures to cancel their respective awards for the benefit of individuals who follow the provisions of their contract.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said the BCMA is already tired of the numerous complaints being brought to the committee in relation to the willful sub-leasing of stalls in the public market that deprive the local government of the appropriate income.
“Investigation is underway for all those who had been confidentially identified as sub-leasing their awarded stalls. The city is ready to cancel their awards and subject the stalls to public bidding so that deserving local residents will have a chance to own their stalls inside the public market.
It was learned that there are stallholders who only pay the city government more or less P300 in monthly rentals but when sub-leased to willing individuals, the sub-lessees pay to the awardee at least P10,000 up to 25,000 monthly.
Under the city’s market ordinance, the city government is empowered to cancel the award of the stallholder who will be found to have sub-leased his or her awarded stall or those delinquent stallholders, and that the vacated stalls will be subsequently subjected to public bidding wherein the person with the highest bid price based on the ceiling pegged by the city will be the one to be awarded the said stall.
For those that were vacated by delinquent stallholders, the minimum bid of interested individuals will be the accumulated unpaid rentals, including surcharges and interests.
The BCMA directed concerned offices of the city government to conduct the required investigation on the alleged massive sub-leasing in the public market so that those stallholders who are found to have sub-leased their stalls will be acted upon by with a cancellation of their respective awards.
Domogan appealed to sub-lessees to cooperate with the on-going investigation so that those who have enriched themselves at the expense of the property of the city will no longer pursue their illegal practices and for future stallholders planning to sub-lease their stalls to be warned that the city means business in the campaign to rid the public market of sub-leasing activities./Dexter A. See
