Hotels, motels, dormitories, and other similar establishments that provided free shelter to frontline health workers amid the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will be granted a P100,000 tax credit by the Manila city government following the signing of an ordinance. 

Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso has signed Ordinance No. 8646, that states the city government shall grant a tax relief in the form of a P100,000 tax credit to these establishments.

The tax credit "may be applied on all forms of local business taxes, regulatory fees and services including the appropriate surcharge and penalty interests."

According to the ordinance signed on June 11, the tax credit may be claimed within three years after its enactment.

Domagoso earlier signed Executive Order No. 17, commandeering hotels and motels in Manila to provide free lodging for health workers based in hospitals and medical centers in the city. 

" do hereby order all the motels and hotels in the city of Manila to accommodate the health workers of 6 hospitals of Manila, including those of the national government hospitals, as their staging area in going to and coming from city hospitals and national government hospitals," he said in a Facebook live address on March 18.

Data from the Bureau of Permits showed that over 1,000 healthcare workers were given free lodging after the Manila mayor issued the order.

In a related development, Domagoso also signed Ordinance No. 8645, which waives all late registration fees of civil documents incurred from March 16 to May 30 due to the COVID-19 crisis.

"Due to the imposition of these policies, residents of Manila were unable to process the registration of their births, marriages, and deaths with the proper government offices which thus incur certain fees as penalty," the ordinance read.