Mines View vendors ask for lower rent

By DELIA BAGNI
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — Members of the Mines View Open Market Vendors Association (MVOMVA) plead for lower rental fees for the stalls in the newly constructed Mines View Park Multipurpose Building.

According to Rene Masigman, MVOMVA president, vendors could hardly afford the rental fees the city government is requiring t. She stressed that their area is a sort of satellite market where that is frequently visited by tourists but not all of them are buying their products.

The P50 million four-storey building which can accommodate around 200 is envisioned by the city government to reclaim the Mines View Park as a park and tourist haven. The Department of Tourism unlisted the park as one of the must see of Baguio because of the mushrooming of vendors in the vicinity. The project was started eight years ago.

During the public consultation in the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod in relation to the approval of the proposed ordinance of Council Committee on Market, Trade and Commerce Chair Perlita Chan-Rondez, City Budget Officer Leticia Clemente said that they already extended the recovery period of the building cost from 15 years to 20 years. She explained that the rental fee of an approximately 3 meters by 3 meters booth starts at P5,000 a month if computed at 15 years recovery period and it was reduced to P3,000 when the recovery period was adjusted to 20 years.

The vendor association pleads for P2,100 monthly rent.

Clemente also said that the rental fees covers not only the Return of Investment (ROI) of the city government but the operational expenses for the building. She said that they are going to pay for two staff, six security guards and two janitors.

Councilor Nicasio Aliping Jr. advised the vendors to meet with the computations of the budget office. He said that they should consider why the city government is requiring such rental rates.

Vice Mayor Daniel Fariñas also said that the city government and the vendors should come to a consensus on the rental fees. He stressed that it should not be a one-sided decision.

A vendor who requested not to be identified said that the stalls to be rented are so small. He added that when displaying their wares, they have to stand or sit outside the stall. He also said that their monthly income would not be able to pay for the rent. He complained that there is no feasibility study prior to the construction of the building to determine if the tenants can afford their projected rental fees.

The city council said it has yet to set another study but affirmed their suggested computed rental rates. # nordis.net