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Street Market vendor claims ‘flaw’ in DPL’s land fee
Herman’s Modern Bakery Inc. general manager Juan “Pan” T. Guerrero cited what he describes as “flaws” in the Department of Public Lands’ policy with respect to “fair treatment” and application for the use of public lands. Guerrero said the land fee representing 1 percent of Garapan Street Market vendors’ gross sales is not fair, days after DPL Secretary Pete A. Tenorio said it is fair.
The DPL secretary said the Garapan Fishing Base where the Thursday night market is held is “prime public land.” But because of vendors’ efforts in providing added tourist attraction, the land fee is only at 1 percent of vendors’ gross sales, DPL said.
Guerrero, however, said “so much for fair treatment,” noting that DPL does not charge other users of public lands, including those for the annual Flame Tree Arts Festival, the Tuesday Night Market, the Saturday Farmers’ Market, the Fourth of July events and related events.
“Would you consider these events fair that they too should contribute their 1 percent fee for use of public lands?” Guerrero asked Tenorio in a May 8 letter.
Tenorio acknowledged yesterday that he has seen Guerrero’s letter but has yet to respond to it.
Guerrero also told Tenorio that golf courses are on prime land “and yet you personally feel that a 10×10 space used during the Thursday Night Market should pay rent more than golf courses because now you give more thoughts that it should be based on gross revenue collection.”
The business asked for “fair treatment” of Garapan Thursday Night Market from DPL.
Tenorio earlier said it is “fair” that the DPL charges the 1 percent gross receipts for each vendor “rather than a fixed fee per month or annually.”
He added that the fee that DPL charges vendors is not a new one. The fee used to be 3 percent of vendors’ gross revenues, but this was reduced to 1 percent in June 2012.
