BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
With only four days left before the deadline, the Bacolod City Licensing Division posted an 82 percent registration of businesses operating in Bacolod.
As of Thursday, 19,396 business registrations have been lodged at the ongoing Business One-Stop-Shop (BOSS), Permits and Licensing Division head Stela Rose Rayos told the DAILY STAR yesterday.
Rayos said they continue to encourage business owners to register with the BOSS in order to avail of the 10 percent discount.
She said early registration for those who are renewing businesses will also save them from paying surcharges.
Rayos said that as of this week, they are catering to more walk-in applicants while there are only a few who have made on-line appointments. BPLO records showed that business registration in Bacolod City last year totaled 23,545, or 2,092 lower than its 2019 record of 25,637 registered businesses.
BUSINESS CONFIDENCE HIGH
Earlier, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said that the continuous increase in business registration this year shows that business confidence in Bacolod remains high despite the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
He said that this is way beyond their expectations, because they had thought of a much lower business registration turnout considering the current situation of the city.
Leonardia had projected a decrease in business registration this year by at least 20 to 30 percent.
Business registration is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Fridays at the Ayala Capitol Central mall and will last until March 31.
Participating in the BOSS for clearances are the 61 barangays, the City Health Office, City Planning and Development Office Zoning Division, Office of the Building Official, Environment and Natural Resources Office, City Tourism Office, City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office;
City Department of Agriculture, City Veterinary Office, and the Bureau of Fire Protection.
National agencies like Pag-IBIG and the Securities and Exchange Commission are also joining, and their booths are located at the ground floor of the mall.*