A GROUP of event organizers welcomed the decision of the City Government to regulate the holding of events until December 31, 2020 but also appealed to be extended with the needed assistance for them to survive.
Davao Events Alliance Reform Group (Dear) founder and Krishael's Events & Concepts owner Ish Montenegro said the events industry is seeing a prolonged struggle with the recently issued executive order (EO) declaring the period of mourning and vigilance on April 17 to December 31, 2020.
Based on the EO 25, all city and national government celebrations, parties, anniversaries, and festivities shall be canceled, private parties should be no more than 25 guests, and big celebrations are advised to be postponed until 2021.
“Bagsak talaga ang event industry ngayon to be honest (The event industry is really down right now). Everyone is in shock. We are still thinking how to deal with this problem but we are positive that we can get over this as long as the government will help us,” Montenegro said.
“I believe this is for the safety of everyone. We are not against it. The majority in the event industry is just not ready,” she added.
She said among their major concerns is the payment of their rentals and other government obligations during this period as well as financial assistance especially to the freelancers.
“[Maybe] the government could also release an EO giving us assistance to ask landlords to delay the payment or reduce the cost of rent since we badly need to close our shops for the meantime,” she said.
“We are not asking for free rent while we are closed but at least we could meet halfway for the rental cost and let us pay last quarter of next year,” she added.
She said they are also asking interventions to ease government obligations.
“Our taxes and other payables to the government agencies such as SSS (Social Security System), Pag-Ibig, Philhealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corporation) should be waived for this year or at least give us an extension until we can get back on our feet,” she said.
Montenegro shared that there are around 40 event suppliers in their organization with about 500 freelancers.
“For those event suppliers whose bread and butter are events, imagine how they can feed their family, pay their bills, send their kids to school, or pay their bank loans,” she said.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently issued a directive of a 30-day grace period for the payment of residential and commercial rents for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) within the period of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) without incurring interest, penalties, fees, and other charges.
However, Montenegro said the DTI directive is only effective until April, presumably the end date of the ECQ.
“How about yung May to December 31? Kasi, EO 25 says there will be no events until December 31, 2020 so how are we going to pay our rent from May to December since we are really closed,” she said.
She said the event supplier groups are consolidating their concerns and plans to send a letter of appeal to the city government.
Meanwhile, the City Government of Davao waived interest, penalties, and surcharges incurred for non-payment of all local taxes, fees, charges, and fines from the start of the quarantine measures until it will be lifted.
The City Government said with the extension and waiver of interest, taxpayers can still pay their taxes after the lifting of CQ and ECQ without worrying about incurring penalties.
“It is not easy for everyone but of course in our hearts, we will support the government in fighting this pandemic. We want this to end so badly as well. We just need help from them on how to deal with other stuff,” Montenegro said.