Business permit renewal transferred to Almendras

THE one-stop-shop for renewal of business permits done yearly at NCCC Kadayawan Hall was transferred at Almendras Gym, an official said.

Business Bureau office-in-charge lawyer Marissa Torentera advised the public that the city government of Davao will conduct the offsite onestop shop at Almendras Gym, instead of NCCC Kadayawan Hall at the NCCC Mall in Maa that was razed by fire last December.

“Last I-Speak media forum, we announced that it will be at NCCC since NCCC still operational that time. It was already changed, instead of NCCC it was transferred to Almendras Gym. So the schedule of [the one-stop shop] at Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) it will also be the same at Almendras Gym,” Torentera said.

Torentera admits encountering difficulties in the transfer as they have to set up everything from zero.

“Didto man gud sa NCCC kabalo na ta unsaon kay naanad naman ta didto kay pila ka tuig na didto ang offsite, so pag transfer sa Almendras, bag-o na pud na layout, bag-o na pud ang wiring kay bag-o na venue (NCC has been our off-site onestop-shop for years now, so we were very familiar with how to install everything. When we transferred at Almendras, there is a new layout, new wirings, since it is a new venue),” she said.

The NCCC Kadayawan Hall has been the venue for business permit renewal for more than five years, she added, as the area was conducive because of its large space.

Almendras Gym is also convenient as it can cater to hundreds.

“The area is quite big and the benches can also be utilized as holding/ waiting area as they process the renewal,” she said.

The renewal kicked off yesterday at around 9 a.m. at the Business Bureau Office and Almendras Gym.

Torentera said Almendras Gym will be solely for the renewal of business permits while those who will apply for new businesses and other transactions such as transfer of business location or application for additional line of business will be catered at the main office of the Business Bureau.

She added that they expect to cater around 42,000 business permit renewals this year.

From January 2 to 20, 2017 including Saturdays and Sundays, with no noon break, the Sangguniang Panlungsod and Almendras Gym will be open for the business permit renewal.

Torentera said she is asking public’s cooperation to bear with the increased business taxes and regulatory fees that will be implemented starting this year.

“Hangyo sa taxpayers atong revenue code kadtong 2005 pa siya so 2018 naman ta karon due najud ang atong revenue code na bag-ohon. Mag-increase jud ta ug mga fees, twelve years jud ang panahon nga wala ta nag-increase hinaot na masabtan pud sa atong mga taxpayers nganong kinahanglan nato magpa-increase kay murag taas na kaayo ang 12 years (We are asking the taxpayers to understand that our previous revenue code was passed last 2005. So we are now in 2018, and it is already due time to change the revenue code. There will be an increase of fees, as it was not increased in the past 12 years. I hope taxpayers will understand why there is a need to increase. Twelve years is too long),” she said.