Controversial Isetann Mall back in biz after coughing up PHP2M in back taxes

After paying Manila City Hall PHP2 million (US$38,800) in back taxes, Isetann Mall Recto, a shopping center that allegedly sells stolen goods, reopened its doors today.

Manila Public Information Office chief Julius Leonen said in a statement today that the mall owed the local government about PHP4 million (US$77,500) in unpaid taxes. That amount, however, was halved after the mall’s owner, Tri-Union Properties Inc., applied for the city’s tax amnesty program, which allows penalties to be waived upon full payment of the principal amount, ABS-CBN News reported.

Journalist Kat Domingo of ABS-CBN tweeted a photo of the lifting of closure order from Mayor Isko Moreno’s office, which allows the mall to reopen after it was shuttered on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Moreno publicly called out Isetann after a student complained that his stolen phone had been resold at the mall. Moreno promptly threatened to close the mall, accusing it of coddling vendors who sold pilfered goods.

Read: Mayor’s Special Overreaction Team? Manila to ban trade in used phones after report, mayor says

On Wednesday, Moreno followed through with the threat and shut down the mall, citing not only the alleged sale of stolen good, but other violations, including the illegal leasing of too many stalls.

Moreno added that Tri Union Properties had misrepresented its employee count and land area, while the mall’s operator, Trans-Orient Management Services, allegedly managed the property with “no valid and existing business permit,” Rappler reported.

In a letter addressed to Moreno, Isetann vowed that it will clamp down on vendors it finds selling stolen goods, ABS-CBN reported.

“In keeping with the instructions of the City Mayor, the sale of secondhand phones will no longer be allowed here at the Isetann Cinerama Complex,” the mall said in the letter.

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