ILOILO City – Business owners here can expect a more convenient renewal of business permits next year.
Aside from walk-in and online permit application and renewal processing, the city government will be establishing satellite processing centers in three malls in the metro.
Currently, the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BLPO) at city hall is the only site for business permit renewals.
In 2021, new venues will include SM City Iloilo, Megaworld and Gaisano Capital Iloilo City Center (ICC) Mall – all in Mandurriao district.
According to Mayor Jerry Treñas, 250 walk-in applicants will be catered per day at city hall and 250 applicants each at SM City Iloilo, Megaworld and ICC sites.
The process, he said, will not change but these additional processing centers will help ease the daily influx of clients at the city hall, which is necessary to manage the movement of people to help control the spread of coronavirus disease 2019.
“We want to make sure that everyone is safe while we are trying to revive our economy so more jobs would be provided for our residents,” Treñas stressed.
Every year, around 16,000 businesses in this southern city are renewing their permits.
Francis Cruz, head of the Iloilo City Local Economic and Investment Promotions Office, recently presented the processes for the business permit renewal next year.
Processing of business renewal can also be done even on weekends during office hours at the city hall and mall hours at the off-site centers.
Cruz said the same documents are needed when processing in off-site centers where businessmen can also process their fire safety inspection certificate.
Cruz noted that around 8,600 fire safety inspection certificate are due to be renewed by January.
The off-site center will also offer other services; regular employees can also get community tax certificate.
“Our goal is really to spread the services para indi mag gilinutok ang mga tawo,” said Cruz.
Applicants also have the option where to pay and they will be told once they submit all their requirements for business renewal.
“We ask our taxpayers to please pay early kay nagadulolongan sila ya kon lapit na ang deadline,” Cruz said./PN
