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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
City padlocks water supplier for operating without permits
A water supplier in Barangay Mabolo can’t go on with its operations unless it secures permits from the National Water Resources Bureau (NWRB), the Metro Cebu Water District (MCWD) and Cebu City Hall.
The City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) padlocked MR Enterprises early last week for allegedly not paying business taxes and for operating without a mayor’s permit.
Last Friday, personnel of the CTO Revenue Task Force returned to the establishment and brought with them three plumbers from MCWD and had the valves of six deep wells closed.
Edward Tan, owner and operator of MR Enterprises, said he could not do anything to stop the task force from closing his business.
Tan declared P100,000 only as his capital for his water supply business.
But Christopher Ong of the CTO Revenue Task Force said the businessman owns 10 water tankers, which could cost not less than P1 million each.
Damaged roads
Ong explained to Tan that he has to get a permit from NWRB and negotiate with MCWD, if he wants to sell water for his business.
Tan merely gets water from six wells right at his backyard.
Complaints of dilapidated roads on Tres Borces St. in Mabolo by his neighbors led to the discovery of his unlicensed business.
His neighbors lamented that MR’s tankers have damaged the roads in the area.
After conducting a tax mapping inspection and verification, the CTO found that Tan failed to secure a mayor’s permit to operate and pay business taxes for 2005.
Tan allegedly violated the Revised City Tax Ordinance and Section 147 of the Local Government Code.
The order said the non-issuance of such permit “may constitute sufficient ground for closure” of the establishment.
Tata Solon-Sungahid, CTO administrative officer, said that according to MCWD, MR began its operations last year.
“They stopped operation after the closure last week. It will not be opened until they secure all the requirements,” she told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Sungahid and Ong led the task force in the closure of at least seven establishments last week after a tax mapping inspection and verification.
Penalties
Except for MR, the other six have been found allegedly operating with fake business permits or permits with forged signatures of CTO officials.
Five of the six shops reopened after complying with the requirements of the Revised City Tax Ordinance and paying the penalties.
Two of the shops that reopened after paying P50,000 in penalties were boutiques operated by the wife of Rep. Ramon Durano VI and the wife of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano.
The owners maintained they were unaware that their permits were fabricated because they just relied on an accounting firm to apply for and process the permits from the CTO.
Following the proliferation of fake permits, the City appealed to businessmen to check on the authenticity of their permits and call hotline 255-1820 to report to the CTO.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña then asked the National Bureau of Investigation to investigate the alleged conspiracy among employees of the CTO’s tax and inspection division in the production of permits with forged signatures.
So far, six employees have been transferred to the City’s Sanitary Landfill in Barangay Inayawan, Abattoir and the City Agriculture Office in the North Reclamation Area, so they can’t gain access to official records or evidence and influence the investigation. (GAC)
(October 11, 2005 issue)
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