The City Legal Office (CLO)-Enforcement Team of Bacolod City is scheduled to serve the closure order to at least 72 business establishments in the city for operating without a business permit.
City Legal Officer Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. said Monday, March 4, that they will serve the closure order starting this week in various areas.
He said on Friday, March 1, at least five business establishments at Plaza Mart and Bargain Square Mall in the downtown area were closed by the city for operating without a business permit, adding that most of them were selling dry goods and operating a fitness gym.
Ting noted that some of the business establishment owners already went to the Bacolod Government Center to pay and process their business permits.
Ting said the closure order was implemented for violation of Section 65, Article 20 of City Ordinance No. 565, Series of 2011, or the Revised Revenue Code of Bacolod City, as per the recommendation of the Permits and License Division Office.
He said the business establishment owners were also given notices since last year, but they still failed to process their documents.
He added that a “notice of closure” tarpaulin was placed in front of the business establishments.
“Once they have secured their business permit, we will wait for the recommendation of the Permits and Licensing Division Office so they can reopen again,” Ting said.
He said Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez also asked the mall owners to submit the list of their tenants, adding that the mall owners should also require their tenants to secure a business permit before their operation.
Ting also reminded other business establishments to secure business permits to avoid penalties.*