THE business registration in Bacolod in 2019 has reached a record-breaking 25,627 -- surpassing the record of 2018 with 23,187 businesses registered, according to the Permits and Licensing Division.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the 2018 figure was then the highest ever, but it was still a pleasant surprise that the 2019 record marked an increase of 2,440 or 10.52 percent increase from the previous year.
“Progress begets progress. I believe that, indeed. The thing speaks for itself,” Leonardia said.
“This also means that things are different now in Bacolod. For one, all the big players are here,” the mayor added, enumerating the big property developers that have mushroomed in the city.
In 2016, when the Leonardia administration took over, business registration reached 19,021. In 2017, it increased to 22,004. It went up to 23,187 in 2018 and 25,627 in 2019.
Compared to the 2015 figure under the previous administration, the 2019 figure recorded an increase of 6,810 businesses registered.
“As we continue to innovate and find ways and means to improve the ease of doing business, we will not only please and retain existing ones but even attract new investments. This is the core of our intensified campaign to establish Bacolod as one of the ‘most business-friendly cities in the country,” Leonardia said, (PR)