To ensure the safety of tenants and clients, the Maharlika Livelihood Center (MLC) is up for a major renovation after its turned over to the city government by the Department of Agriculture. (DA).

Lawyer Leticia Clemente, city budget officer and chair of the MLC transition team, said Wednesday that Mayor Benjamin Magalong has ordered the relocation of some tenants in the facility’s hallway and lobby.

“May relocation naman na pupuntahan which was prepared by CBAO (City Building and Architects Office) dahil if you go there, constricted na siya, wala na yung maluwag na where you can put plants, benches where people can rest or hang out. Wala na because everything has been occupied. Konti lang space para you can breathe (There is a relocation for them prepared by the CBAO). If you go there, the place is constricted. The space where you can put plants and benches where people can rest or hang out is gone),” she said in an interview.

The MLC, formerly operated by the DA, was turned over to the city government in May last year following the expiration of the 50-year lease agreement between the two entities.

The turnover included two adjacent buildings erected on a 5,000-square-meter land area, which houses various businesses such as tailoring shops, parlors, “ukay-ukay” souvenir shops, antique shops, cellphone trading and repair shops, among others.

Clemente said the lobby of the buildings has already been obstructed after many stalls were set up there.

She added that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) also recommended the removal of the stalls in the hallways to allow visitors to immediately get out of the facility in case of a fire.

“The transition team wants to fix the place, although piecemeal, we will start with the priorities but we can only do that if we relocate the obstructing tenants and we assure that there will be nobody who will be removed,” she said.

She said the facility’s electrical wiring would also be checked to prevent a repeat of the six-hour fire that gutted the facility’s basement in September last year.

Zoning of items sold will also follow suit with gadgets and supplies placed in one area, she added.

Clemente also said comfort rooms at the facility would be refurbished.

She said sublessees were given until Dec. 31, 2025 to vacate and have their names registered with the city government so that they can be properly provided with spaces.

“We are putting order in the facility so that it will be orderly while we have yet to start with the major developments and fixing the funding obtained from the facility, which is insufficient to carry out improvement,” Clemente added.

She said the city government has adopted a “no subleasing policy” aimed at lowering the rental cost for tenants at the facility.

Before the subleasing ban, Clemente said sublessees pay as much as PHP50,000 to PHP100,000 for rent to the leasee listed, who pays the city about PHP5,000 to PHP7,000 only.

“Maharlika is a livelihood center and how can it become a source of livelihood if rent alone is too high,” the lawyer added.

She added that the dark and dirty parking space filled with stored items has been fixed and organized.

The Maharlika livelihood center was built in the 1970s under the Ministry of Human Settlements and is among the projects of former First Lady Imelda Marcos as a trading facility for small businesses. (PNA)