The lawyer of a Bacolod businessman yesterday said it is not true that his client had agreed to vacate a building where he was leasing space by June 30.

Roberto Vasquez, a son of Jose Vasquez and Angeles Gonzaga who own the Carlota Gonzaga Building, said Bhagwani Chugani had leased 338 square meters of their building at Gonzaga Street, Bacolod City, for his Indian Emporium and the contract expired on April 30, 2007.

Negotiations started on July 26, 2006 for a new lease contract but no new agreement was reached by the time the lease ended, he said.

We are only asking for what is fair, they should comply with an agreement done in the presence of a judge, Vasquez said. He was referring to an order issued on May 30, 2007 stating that, after the case was called for conference in chamber, Chugani agreed to vacate the premises of the Carlota Gonzaga Building by June 30, 2007 in the event that no agreement is reached.

But Chugani's lawyer William Mirano yesterday said there was no agreement that his client would vacate by June 30. It was a mere proposal that Chugani never agreed to, he said.

Oral arguments on the case are set Aug. 23, he said.

Even assuming that the contract of his client had expired, he said his store could not just be padlocked. He also said it is not true that Chugani did not pay rentals since 2003. If this is true, why did they not file an ejectment case against Chugani. Why did they receive lately the rentals of Chugani for May, June and July 2007? Mirano asked.*

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