‘Be fair, compassionate’: Duterte appeals to lessors amid pandemic
MANILA, Philippines — “Be fair and compassionate.”
This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s appeal to lessors during his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday.
“Nananawagan po ako sa ating mga lessors. Malasakit at bayanihan po sana ang pairalin natin ngayon. This is not the time to drive away lessees. During normal times, they were the primary source of your income,” he said.
“Now, it’s time to be fair and compassionate, come out with an amenable arrangement with your tenants. ‘Wag po natin silang pagtabuyan, tanggalin ang tubig, kuryente at bubong,” he added.
In April, the DTI granted a grace period for residential rent, as well as commercial rent paid by micro, small and medium enterprises.
The grace period will be 30 days after the last due date of the rent during the lockdown, while cumulative amounts of rent must be amortized equally for the next six months.
