Belmonte asks commercial establishments to help SMEs

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte asked owners of commercial establishments to extend assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) renting spaces in their properties amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hounding the country.

“The City Government would like to appeal to all commercial lessors to tap into their sense of charity and extend the economic assistance necessary to secure the survival of many SMEs doing business in the jurisdiction of Quezon City.” Belmonte said.

The mayor said among the assistance that may be extended by owners of commercial establishments may come in the form of discount, deferral or even full waiver of monthly rentals during the time the lessee is unable to open and operate business.

“These are the most direct assistance that SMEs can definitely benefit from aside from other creative means that both SMEs and their commercial lessors may arrange between them,” she said.

She also said SMEs are among the badly affected sector as they have to stop operating due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine.

“Every day that passes without business operations is like a death knell for every SME that mainly relies on daily operations and cash flow to sustain its viability,” she said.

Belmonte implored owners of commercial establishments to help commercial lessees that are unable to operate during the enhanced community quarantine period.

“It is only through such small measures of support that these SMEs can hurdle the economic storm of COVID-19 and come out of such crisis still intact and capable of proceeding with business operations,” said Belmonte.