The city government wants to put order in the Maharlika Livelihood Center by creating a conducive business environment for legitimate stallholders doing business in the facility.
City Budget officer lawyer Leticia O. Clemente, chairperson of the Maharlika Livelihood Center Transition Committee, said that what the city government is doing is to gradually implement the necessary improvements to make the facility safe and clean considering that the city wants a ‘win-win’ solution to all the issues and concerns that have cropped up since the center was turned over to the city.
Earlier, the city had conducted a series of consultations with the affected vendors and stallholders in the different sections of the facility where it was agreed upon that there will no longer be sub-lessees by the end of 2025 and that the city government will start gradually implementing the planned improvements to achieve the goal of making the center conducive for business operations.
Clemente claimed that the stalls at the lobby will already be transferred to the sixth floor while the vendors that have occupied spaces on some portions of the center will also have their own relocation area as part of putting order inside the facility.
She admitted that the hallways and some portions of the center have been constricted by the stalls that is why the local government wants to improve the current state of Maharlika pursuant to the standards of a decent business facility to entice people to patronize the businesses in the center.
The city budget officer stipulated there will be no increases in rental currently in the facility as the transition committee has yet to submit its proposal for the Maharlika rental rates for approval by the City Council.
According to her, there is no truth to the information being peddled by some individuals that there are some legal stallholders that were displaced because the city government made sure that those to be relocated will have spaces in the relocation areas to free the constricted portions to allow better mobility for pedestrians navigating the different sections. Baguio City Public Information Office