BACOLOD City Councilor Simplicia Distrito appealed to residential and commercial establishment owners to impose a moratorium on the rentals of their tenants and lessees until December 31, 2020.

"We are appealing to our residential and commercial establishment owners to impose a moratorium on the rentals of their tenants and lessees until December 31, since most of us are affected by the pandemic most especially our Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) who most of them are only leasing their spaces and those that are renting their homes," Distrito said.

She said it is either their businesses are closed or have no income, the reason it is hard for them to look for the salaries of their employees and payment for their rents.

She added the Bayanihan Law 2 provides that tenants and lessees of commercial and residential establishments should be given a 30-day grace period starting from the lifting of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and can be paid in installment until December 31, 2020.

Distrito noted the Bacolod City Council also passed two resolutions appealing to commercial and residential proprietors to suspend collecting rentals from their tenants and to those who are renting their homes up to December 31, until they recover financially.

"If we are going to force them (MSMEs), it will harshly affect their income. Their employees will lose their jobs and owners of residential and commercial building owners will also lose their rental income," Distrito said.

Distrito also earlier appealed to the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), Bacolod City Water District (Baciwa), PLDT, Globe Telecom, Smart Philippines and all other utilities in the city not to enforce any disconnection at least until December 31, 2020.