BACOLOD City — Stallholders with unpaid rental obligations in Bacolod City’s public markets and Manokan Country may soon be given a fresh start after the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved on second reading a proposed ordinance granting a one-time amnesty on surcharges and interest imposed on rental arrears.
The measure, authored by Councilor Celia Flor, chairperson of the SP Committee on Markets, seeks to help vendors settle their outstanding obligations while enabling the city government to recover unpaid rentals and streamline stall occupancy in major market facilities.
Approved during the council’s regular session on June 3, the ordinance covers tenants and occupants of stalls in the Libertad, Burgos, and Central public markets, as well as those operating at Manokan Country in the Reclamation Area.
Under the proposal, accumulated penalties and interest on unpaid rentals will be waived. However, stallholders will still be required to settle the principal amount of their obligations to the city government.
Flor said the proposed amnesty aims to address long-standing issues involving unpaid rentals, expired lease agreements, unauthorized occupants, and other violations of the Revised Market Code of Bacolod City.
The ordinance comes as the city intensifies efforts to improve revenue collection and ensure that public market spaces are occupied by legitimate and qualified vendors.
“The measure seeks to balance compassion for small vendors with the need to enforce market regulations and protect public funds,” Flor said.
The proposal also establishes a framework for the re-award of stalls, particularly as Bacolod prepares for the eventual operation of the redeveloped Manokan Country.
Under the measure, market stalls remain government-owned properties, and occupancy is considered a privilege rather than a vested right. The city government retains the authority to regulate, revoke, renew, or re-award stalls in accordance with existing laws and ordinances.
Flor noted that many stalls are currently occupied by individuals with expired leases or unresolved rental obligations, resulting in revenue losses for the city and complications in market administration.
The proposed amnesty is also expected to benefit Manokan Country stallholders who were temporarily relocated to the SM City Bacolod Parking Hub during the redevelopment of the city’s iconic food destination.
While the measure recognizes the situation of displaced vendors, it emphasizes that any priority in the allocation of stalls in the new Manokan Country will remain subject to compliance with city regulations and the settlement of outstanding financial obligations.
Those qualified to avail themselves of the amnesty include natural persons who are in actual possession and operation of their stalls, occupants with expired lease agreements, individuals who are not the original awardees but are actively operating the stalls, and vendors with accumulated rental arrears.
Excluded from the program are corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, and other juridical entities. Also disqualified are individuals who refuse to acknowledge their rental obligations, fail to execute the required undertaking, or are not in actual possession of any stall.
Flor said the proposed ordinance is expected to be taken up for final reading next week.
The measure aims to provide relief to qualified vendors while helping the city recover revenues, regularize market operations, and pave the way for a more orderly re-award of stalls in Bacolod’s public markets and the redeveloped Manokan Country./PN
