Magalong warns businesses operating without permit

July 15, 2019 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY – Business establishments without the required permits shall cease to operate otherwise the city government will have no recourse but enforce closure.
This was the stern warning of Mayor Benjamin Magalong following the closure of six establishments along Session-Governor Pack Road Barangay in his first week of office.
Magalong specifically mentioned bars along Marcos Highway without business permits will be closed next if they do not comply with city’s Tax Ordinance.
The Permits and Licensing Division (PLD) of the city recorded over 250 more establishments up for closure due to lack of permit to operate.
These businesses are within the barangays of Bakakeng Norte, Bakakeng Central, Loakan and Camp 7. PLD Supervising Administrative Officer Allan Abayao said these establishments are mostly real estate leasing particularly transient houses, board and lodging houses as well as sarisari stores, eatery, bars, car wash, fitness gym, spa, computer rentals, automotive repair shops, laundry and water refilling stations, among others.
These will be in addition to the over 526 establishments which were issued closure orders from January to March this year.
Abayao said the PLD is composed of three teams with a total of 10 personnel conducting inspection in all the 128 barangays of Baguio city.
“Once we have encouraged an establishment to process business permit, this automatically becomes an additional income for the city,” Abayao said.
The Tax Ordinance of the city requires registration of business permits prior to operation and renewed annually from January to March.
Inspection and closure of establishments without business permits is from April to December.
Last year, the PLD released 28,250 business permits while 23,151 were processed for the first half of 2019. Abayao expects more business establishments to register and renew licenses with the staunch advocacy of Mayor Magalong.
 
Jessa Mardy Polonio-Samidan-PIO/ABN