IGaCoS biz owners renew permits

ISLAND GARDEN CITY OF SAMAL January 26, 2015 -  As expected there was an influx of business owners on the last day of the  scheduled date for renewal of permit. 

A total of 1,123 business owners renewed their business permit for 2015 since the Business One Stop Shop (BOSS) was set-up on January 5 until January 20, 2015 at Samal Multi-purpose Gymnasium headed by Business Licensing and Regulatory Officer Elizabeth B. Luna together with the regulatory agencies.

As of January 19, out of forty six (46) resorts establishment registered for the renewal during the  BOSS and only four (4) business application were  approved and given the business permit to operate.

Licensing Officer Elizabeth Luna said that since 2013 some beach resort owners did not renew their business permit because Samal City Resort Owners Association (SCROA) filed a petition for prohibition, mandamus and injunction  to strike down as invalid and unconstitutional the offending  provisions of  the City Ordinance No. 2009-150 classifying and considering their jetties as “existing not allowed structures”  and imposed administrative fines and penalties.

With the existing court case, the city government allowed resort owners in status quo, however on September 10, 2014, the Regional Trial Court 11th Judicial Region Branch 34, Panabo City dismissed the case filed by SCROA, Et Al and the status quo is no longer applicable.

Already, some of the resort owners complied with the law and applied for the renewal of their business permit and complied with the corresponding penalties,  some resort owners also submit themselves for the computation of their business permit payables but have not yet completed the business permit process.

 “Sukad pa atong una naga bayad na gyud mi quarterly og penalty sa among jetty. (Even before, we were  paying quarterly our penalty of our jetty.) Hof Gorei Beach Resort Operation Manager  Rhomil M. Segura said.

Luna further said that each business permit application was meticulously   scrutinized and assessment of payments carefully reviewed and if ever discrepancies  were found the document is returned to the concerned staff for revalidation.  However if  all the requirements needed were complete  the approved permit is released within the day.

“As law abiding citizen, let us pay our obligation and give what is due to the government” Luna said.

The late influx of applicants of business permits renewal and new application made the BOSS team extend their time to cater clients and be able to deliver the expected services.

To expedite and systematically follow the four steps in securing business permits processing, the BOSS Team composed of national agencies like Social Security System, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Bureau of Fire and the local agencies like City Treasurer, City Health, City Veterinary, City Fisheries, City Tourism, City Planning, City Engineering and City Environment, Natural Resources and others signatories for the validation and issuance of clearances were  situated inside Samal Gym, Barangay Penaplata, Samal District, IGaCoS.

Business owners who do not meet the deadline have to pay surcharges of 25%  and 2% interest per month. Notices to the delinquent business owners will be sent.  Failure to comply means closure of the business establishment. (MTA/Emma Samal Info.)