LILOAN Vice Mayor Lucelito Pilapil has been operating his medical clinic in the municipality without a business permit for the last three years.
Pilapil is running for mayor under Bakud Party against Atty. Cristina Garcia-Frasco of One Cebu Party.
Garcia-Frasco is the wife of incumbent Mayor Duke Frasco, who is running for vice mayor. She is the daughter of former governor now third district Rep. Gwen Garcia and niece of One Cebu’s gubernatorial candidate Atty. Winston Garcia.
Pilapil, a medical doctor, owns Pilapil Medical Clinic in Barangay Yati, which offers general medicine and ultrasound services for a fee.
No records
Records at the Liloan Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) show that Pilapil has not been paying business taxes, occupational taxes, community taxes, among others, since 2014.
A BPLO source said that under the law, before engaging in an activity, a person or business entity must comply with requirements to establish legitimacy of a business or office.
He said if a business permit is not renewed, the Municipal Government will issue a show-cause order for the owner of the establishment to show proof why his business or office should not be closed.
If he cannot justify, the office or place of business will be closed for operating without a valid mayor’s permit. It can only be reopened once all the requirements are complied with and payments of all the fees and penalties.
In securing a permit, the BPLO source said there is an assessment of regulatory fees, such as P500 for a mayor’s permit, P200 for a police clearance, occupational tax of P250 to P300 per attendant or staff, P200 and above for sanitary permit depending on the size of business, P50 per worker for laboratory test on health card, among others.
Revenue Officer Lydia Torres of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Liloan said that they have no records of Pilapil paying a business registration fee, which the law requires every year.
Could not be reached
However, Torres said she cannot conclude that Pilapil has no BIR registration because he could have registered and paid at the Revenue District 80 based in Mandaue City.
At the Municipal Assessor’s Office, Pilapil also has no record of paying real property taxes on his residential property in Barangay Yati since 2013.
Pilapil also renovated and improved the same property, a house in which he resides in, but he did not declare the improvements, evading the payment of taxes for the same since its construction.
Sun.Star Cebu went to Pilapil’s office at the Liloan Municipal Hall to get his comment, but it was closed.
Pilapil did not answer calls and text messages requesting him to comment on the matter.