BAGUIO CITY – The city government here is asking the lessors of business establishments, the Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) and Baguio Water District (BWD) including the city treasurer’s office to waive and suspend collecting payments as a reprieve to the residents who are all affected by the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
President Rodrigo Duterte on March 17 ordered all people in Luzon to implement the ECQ and keep people inside their homes from Mar. 17 to Apr. 13, 2020, leading to the closure of establishments except for those engaged in “necessary” activities.
The ECQ is implemented to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the country.
The council’s measure is a collective appeal for humanitarian consideration to allow the establishments to recover from the serious negative effect of the state of the economy that has been ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The City Council also requested public utility companies operating in the city-- Beneco, BWD, Sky Cable, Converge ICT Solutions, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, and other telecommunication companies-- to grant a reprieve in the imposition of surcharges and penalties on the unpaid bills of their customers.
Beneco and BWD heeded the call, saying the March water bills will have an extended payment period of 30 days from the due date indicated in the water bill and that no surcharges will be imposed.
The council also approved a resolution requesting the City Treasury Office to provide the needed tax relief to commercial establishments that stopped or suspended their operations.
The measure aims to cut the impact of the ECQ on the economic activities and the livelihood of the people.
The discretion on what form of tax relief that will be allowed to be granted to the affected owners of commercial establishments is left to the treasury office.
Urgent release of pension
The council also approved a resolution urging the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) requesting the two agencies to release in advance the monthly pension of retirees to allow them to have the financial means to cope with the current situation.
Retirees from the government sector and the private sector urged the city government to help them in convincing SSS and GSIS to release in advance their pensions which they could use in dealing with the present challenges of the ECQ.
According to the resolution, the release in advance of the pensions from the companies will definitely provide the retirees with adequate resources to use while awaiting the situation to normalize,
The resolution is pursuant to the Memorandum of the Office of the Executive Secretary for concerned government agencies to look for ways and means on how to reduce the impact of the prevailing crisis on the economic activities in the city and the sources of livelihood of the people. (PNA)
