By Ralph John Mijares and Edalyn Acta
ROXAS CITY — Stall owners of the Teodoro Arcenas Trade Center (TATC) complained about the increase in rental rates.
Elias Cabarles, president of the Grocery Miscellaneous and Agri-Dry Association Inc., said that some stall owners have not reopened their stores yet.
“Damo nagreklamo, so nagsulat kami kay Mayor. Ang iban wala pa kabangon kag ang iban sirado, so magobra si mayor (Ronnie Dadivas) moratorium nga kon pwede iadjust sa 50 percent,” Cabarles said.
The moratorium is for the implementation of the P2 per square meter (sq. m.) increase of the rental fee in TATC.
The moratorium was approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod on April 6.
The P2-hike was started to be implemented in January this year, Cabarles said.
The increase of rental fee was approved on March 3, 2020, days before the COVID-19 lockdown. A public hearing was done before the increase was approved.
Dadivas said he chose to defer the rental increase in 2020 due to the economic impact of COVID-19.
In a recent press conference, Dadivas said that the increase would be used to help improve the TATC, adding that there has not been a rental increase in the market for 10 years.*
