RENEWAL of the 2020 business permit and accepting of new business permits will start on January 2 next year, the Davao City Business Bureau announced.
Business Bureau chief Marissa Torentera said on Thursday, December 26, the renewal will start on Thursday, January 2, unless President Rodrigo Duterte will declare it as a special non-working holiday.
Torentera said they are expecting almost 40,000 business establishments to renew their permits next year.
She added the bureau will transact with applicants from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday, while they will be operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
Their operation will be extended until 12 midnight on January 31, the deadline of the business permit renewal.
Torentera said it will be the second year the permit renewal was stretched to a whole month, following the amendment of the Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act which took effect in January this year.
Previously, she said the local government code only gave business owners 20 days to comply with the renewal.
“The month-long renewal would give applicants, both new and renewal, ample time to comply with the requirements of the Business Bureau,” Torentera said.
Aside from the main office at the Sangguniang Panlungsod building, a satellite office for all business permit renewal had been set up at the nearby Davao City Recreation Center (Almendras Gym). She said signatory personnel from other offices such as the Bureau of Fire Protection will also be there at the satellite office.
Torentera clarified new applicants will only be catered at the main office.
Meanwhile, she encouraged business owners to file early first week of January as influx of applicants is expected in the middle of the month.
“Based on our experience, it’s mostly during the deadline that we get to cater to more applicants,” Torentera said, adding the “last day” mindset should be changed as it would be inconvenient on their part.
She said business owners who failed to comply with the one-month renewal period will have penalties and surcharge after January 31.
“The surcharge will be 25-percent additional from the total payment,” Torentera said.