Finally, after several years of inconveniencies and a long wait, the newly retrofitted Virac Public Market is now fully occupied and operational. Local and transient businessmen/visitors who will buy goods, transact business, sell products or visit the market place would surely appreciate the relative ambiance and space of the market.
However, due to reduced household buyers and their attendant less purchasing power and fear of the vicious, vicious virus, stallholder- occupants find it hard to pay the monthly payments due to less profit margins.
These small market vendors through their leaders requested for consideration—reduce rental payment through the Mayor’s office who reportedly batted, with dispatch, of at least twenty (20) reduction.
In an interview by the Bicol Peryodiko Print and Broadcast Services, Inc. Vice Mayor Arlynn H. Arcilla last week of July, said the Sangguniang Bayan had given the chief executive leeway to prescribe a reasonable rental reduction because the municipal market code is almost finish for review by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
Which constrains us once again to raise this question: Is the 20 percent rental reduction being proposed allegedly by Mayor reasonable? A win-win situation in the end?
Some quarters say the reduction of rental occupancy should be thoroughly analyzed to determine whther it’s tenable and judicious or not in view of the fact that LGU-Virac had been paying its monthly amortization from the Development Bank of the Philippines.
Thus, the need to resolve this issue, to find a win-win solution vis-à-vis the plight of the market stallholders and its monthly amortization obligation with lending bank.
Left unresolved for relatively longer period of time, this may lead to skyrocketing of prices of agricultural food supplies in the public market to cope up with high rental payment at the expense and additional burden hardship of the hard-up consuming public.
Let’s hope and pray that serious matter be acted upon, with dispatch, by the Sangguniang Bayan and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. In times like this, financial stability and food security is imperative. Especially now that the BER months is in the air, political fever had begun, while the raging pandemic is alarming & apparently no certainty in sight.
