THE Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) of Mandaue City has extended the schedule of application for business permits and renewal through a city ordinance.
By law, businesses must renew their business permits within the first 20 days of the year to avoid penalties and surcharges.
The business renewal schedule is extended through City Ordinance 15-2021-1614 authored by Mandaue City Councilor Carmelino del Mar, after it was approved by the city council on Jan. 13, 2021.
The renewal period for barangays Casili, Cubacub, Tawason and Opao is extended until Jan. 31.
The renewal period for barangays Cambaro, Labogon, Mantuyong, Pagsabungan, Tingub and Jagobiao is until Feb. 14.
For barangays Basak, Canduman, Casuntingan, Looc, Paknaan and Umapad, the renewal period is extended until Feb. 28.
Residents of barangays Alang-Alang, Bakilid, Cabancalan, Guizo, Maguikay and Tabok can renew their permits until March 15.
For barangays Banilad, Centro, Ibabao-Estancia, Subangdaku, Tipolo and PUD-1 (CSEAZ), the schedule is until March 31.
In an interview, BPLO head August Lizer Malate said they find the extension necessary considering that they are expecting 15,000 to 17,000 businesses to renew their permits.
He said if the number of businesses will be divided by the first 20 days of the year, then there must be at least 750 businesses that will renew their business permits per day.
However, in this time of pandemic, gathering or crowding is prohibited, hence the extension, said Malate.
He said the schedule depends on the number of businesses in that particular barangay. The fewer the number of businesses in the area, the sooner the deadline is.
The businesses may renew their permits at BPLO help desks located at Parkmall, Insular Square, Pacific Mall, Peri-Peri in the North Reclamation Area, Mandaue Sports Complex and at the BPLO in front of the Mandaue City Hall.
Malate said this year’s renewal is different from the previous ones as they have fully registered and renewed the permits through their Electronic Business Permit and Licensing System (eBPLS).
From Jan. 4 to 15, Malate said 2,400 businesses have completed their requirements for renewal and are subject to verification.
The BPLO received another 4,000 pending applicants, meaning the clients created an account but are still complying with the requirements.
Starting next week, Malate said they will release their official business permits to those who have completed the process.
He said their official business permit to be issued this year has a new format which is instituted with a QR code and a security sticker.
This way, Malate said, they will be able to determine the authenticity of the permit by scanning the QR code.
With the new look, BPLO personnel will be able to determine if the registration of the business has been renewed this year by just looking at the permits on hand. / KFD