BDO Unibank’s management has requested Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella to issue business permits to its branches in the city for 2019.
The City, during the time of then mayor Tomas Osmeña, reportedly refused to issue in 2017 and 2018 business permits to BDO, which has around 28 branches in the city.
Alvin Go, BDO chief legal council and senior vice president, sent the request letter, dated July 25, 2019, to Labella, who referred the matter to City Attorney Rey Gealon.
Gealon sent a reply to Go, telling the latter that his office and Business Permit and Licensing Office chief Jared Limquiaco would check if BDO’s branches in the city had complied with the requirements needed for the issuance of business permits.
“If and when it will be found out that you have complied with such requirements, we will not hesitate to recommend to (Labella) the issuance of business permits for 2019,” read a portion of Gealon’s reply.
During the campaign period, Labella said he would give permits to businessmen as long as they paid the taxes and complied with the City’s requirements.
In 2017, Osmeña filed a case against BDO Magallanes-Plaridel Branch for allegedly not declaring its correct gross annual income. He then told reporters in subsequent press conferences that the City might possibly order the closure of 26 BDO branches that had yet to get the renewal of their business permits.
The former mayor had accused BDO of violating the City Tax Ordinance by under-declaring and falsifying the bank’s declaration of gross sales of only P400,000 for 2016.
BDO turned to the courts on the same year; the Regional Trial Court Branch 18 later granted the Writ of Preliminary Injunction that BDO filed against the Cebu City Government, barring the City from pursuing any move that would lead to the closure of any of the bank’s branches.
The City was ordered to act on BDO’s business permit applications that were pending at the time. (From PAC of SuperBalita Cebu, KAL)