THE Bacolod Employers Union (BEU), a group composed of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Bacolod City, is pushing for adjustments on building rentals and basic utility rates.

On November 4, BEU officials, led by their founding president John Anthony Ledesma, initiated a meeting with the local government unit (LGU), building owners, and representatives of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco) and Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa) and malls.

Ledesma said businesses cannot afford to pay the 100 percent rental rate since there were protocols limiting customer capacity from 10 to 50 percent only since March this year.

For power and water utilities, Ledesma said they are pushing businesses to have rates comparable to residential rates instead of commercial rates especially with Ceneco.

"Businesses now have very low capacity to pay because of the very low sales and weaker money circulation," he said, adding that "businesses are really hard up."

During the meeting held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Session Hall, the City Government announced that it will extend business renewal until March 2021.

"This is one good thing with the LGU," Ledesma said, adding that the local government also extended the group's appeal to the building owners.

For Baciwa, he said, the utility will not conduct disconnection until December in response to the BEU appeal.

The Ceneco, meanwhile, has no reply, the official added.

The BEU is composed of 600 member-MSMEs with at least 300 registered businesses under different sectors.

On an average, they employ about 3,000 workers.

Earlier, it lamented that the prevailing coronavirus disease pandemic has been tremendously hurting MSMEs in the city, and that they have yet to receive help from the local government.