Business confidence in Bacolod City restored: mayor

PAYING TAX. Taxpayers queue at the one-stop-shop for renewal of business permit registration at the lobby of Bacolod City Government Center. The operations will run until January 20. (Photo by Nanette L. Guadalquiver via PNA)

BACOLOD CITY — An all-time high of 23,187 permits registration in 2018 is an indication that business confidence has been restored in this city, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.

“This is a solid indicator that we have restored business confidence. Even the business world has taken notice of the business climate we have created in Bacolod,” the mayor said in an interview on Sunday.

Between 2015 and 2018, business permits registration increased by 23.22 percent — from 18,817 to 23,187 by Dec. 31, 2018.

Last year’s registration was 5.33 percent higher than the 22,004 establishments registered in the entire 2017. The 2017 figures are higher by 15.68 percent compared to the 19,021 approved permits in 2016.

Leonardia’s previous term as mayor ended in 2013, and he was succeeded by Monico Puentevella from 2013 to 2016. He won a fresh mandate for a three-year term until 2019.

Leonardia said the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) has recognized the improved business climate in the city and listed Bacolod among the “most business-friendly cities” in the country in 2018.

He added that with the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) recognizing Bacolod as the “most competitive city in the Visayas” in the past year, the city government now intends to attract more investments and sustain the growth momentum.

Leonardia earlier said that part of his vision to make Bacolod very business-friendly is the setting up of the one-stop shop operations to ensure that business confidence is restored and a climate conducive for business and industry to grow and prosper is established.

This year’s business one-stop-shop, which caters to the renewal of business permits aimed at providing convenience and accessibility to taxpayers, started Jan. 3 and will run until Jan. 20 at the Bacolod City Government Center.

Stela Rose Rayos, head of the City Mayor’s Office-Permits and Licensing Division, said that as of Monday, their office has released 138 renewed permits.

She noted that the processing of business permits this year is faster because the system is now fully automated, which makes the procedure easier.

Business taxpayers who pay in full within the period can avail of a 10-percent discount.

If the renewal period is not extended after Jan. 20, the taxpayers will be charged a 25-percent penalty, Rayos added.