LB holds BOSS 2018 for processing, renewal of business licenses

by Michaela Therese Garcia and Madeleine Jeanne Argosino

The Office of the Municipal Treasurer offered a one-day extension to the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) for processing and renewal of business licenses.

Originally set to be conducted from January 3–20, 8am to 5pm, Mondays to Saturdays at the Activity Area of the Los Baños Municipal Building in Brgy. Timugan, the activity was extended to January 22, from 8am to 5pm to accommodate more applicants.

From 8am-5pm, Los Baños business owners flocked to the Los Baños Municipal Building to avail of the one-stop shop processing and renewal of business licenses. (Photo taken by Catherine Bucu-Flores)

According to Alexander Bejosano, municipal treasurer of Los Baños, this year’s extension was due to the decrease in the number of applications submitted to their office on the last day of renewals. “Among the different barangays in Los Baños, Batong Malake has the highest number of permits requested and renewed for it comprises 90% of the total business in Los Baños” he said.

There was a significant drop in the number of businesses that renewed their business license this year. From having more than 2,000 business establishments renewed in 2017, only 1,404 business establishments successfully secured their business licenses by January 20, 2018, Saturday.

A week after the renewal of business permits, government officials inspect all business establishments to validate their permits. Establishments without renewed business permits are forced to close.

According to Angie Cielo, owner of Prologue Computer Center in Vega Arcade, she still is encountering problems despite being in the business field for more than 20 years. She has been running her business for 25 years and problems she encounters  are the cost of permits, source of various permits (barangays, health, fire, etc.) located in different areas, and the confusing process in the past that they make business owners come back many times before issuing permits.

For her, the “one-stop shop” makes it convenient because there is no need to go to different venues since all the agencies are in one location. She also stated that the government are more consistent with the requirements now, whereas they kept changing requirements in the past.

For Margie Gabatan, who has been running her laundry business (Laundry Best) since 2012, “Renewing business permits are more efficient now because the entire process has been streamlined and simplified,” she said. “I always encounter problems when renewing my business permit. I can’t renew it until my lessor’s real property tax is updated. Very long din que sa tax assessment maybe because only 1-2 staff is doing the computation.”

Kitchie Sauza, another laundry business proprietor (Wash-n-Go),  renewed her 10th business permit. The problems she encounters every year are the lack of requirements, lack of or limited period of time for processing due of the high number of people applying for the renewal or their respective business licenses, and the higher price per succeeding year.

The application of business license and mayor’s permit has 13 requirements for new applicants and it are as follows:

  1. Duly accomplished Business Permit Application,
  2. photocopy of DTI/SEC,
  3. photocopy of latest Community Tax Certificate,
  4. photocopy of Barangay Business Clearance,
  5. photocopy of latest lease of contract if business is leased,
  6. sketch of location of business,
  7. sworn statement of capital investment by owner or operator as shown in the Articles of Incorporation or Partnership,
  8. tax clearance to show that Real Property Tax obligations in the Municipality have been paid, and
  9. clearances from MPDO, MHO, MEO, and BFP.

The document requirements also include inspection reports, clearances agencies may require, mayor’s permit of lessor, and the list of employees and their addresses.

For the renewal of business license and mayor’s permit these are the following requirements:

  1. Duly accomplished Business Permit Application,
  2. photocopy of previous year’s official receipt of mayor’s permit and business license,
  3. photocopy of annual or quarterly business tax permits,
  4. photocopy of latest community tax certificate,
  5. photocopy of barangay business clearance,
  6. photocopy of latest lease contract if place is leased,
  7. photocopy of tax clearance from Provincial Treasurer’s Office,
  8. sworn statement of gross receipts/sales, tax clearance to show that Real Property Tax obligations in the Municipality have been paid, and
  9. clearances from MHO, MEO, and BFP.

It also includes clearances agencies may require, mayor’s permit of lessor, and the list of employees and their addresses.

The application for the renewal of business license and mayor’s permit has three key steps, namely: (1) file, (2) pay, and (3) claim.

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