THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Occidental has registered 10,607 businesses in the province last year, almost 41 percent higher than 7,562 in 2016.
Records showed that of the total number of registered businesses last year, 9,599 are new while the remaining 1,008 are for renewals.
The figure is also 41 percent higher than the agency’s target registrants of about 7,520 for 2017, it added.
Engiemar Tupas, senior trade and industry development specialist of DTI-Negros Occidental, said the increase in business registration is attributed to the establishment of Negosyo Centers in the province.
Aside from delivering entrepreneurial and business development interventions to local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the centers is also providing business name registration services.
In Negros Occidental, 16 Negosyo Centers have been established since 2015.
Tupas said enterprises in out-of-town localities no longer need to process their business name registration in Bacolod City as they can do it in the Negosyo Center nearest to them.
“Through the Negosyo Center, we were able to bring the service closer to the people,” he said, adding that the agency’s campaign through mobile registration has also contributed to increasing the awareness of enterprises on the importance of having a legal personality in operating their businesses.
In 2014, the DTI implemented the streamlining of Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS).
This was mandated under the 2013 joint administrative order of the DTI and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), requiring all enterprises, including public utility vehicles to register.
Since business registration is renewable every five years, DTI-Negros Occidental projected a reduction in registration until last year.
Tupas, however, said the robust economy of the province has driven up the creation of more enterprises.
In 2016, the number of newly-registered business was 6,762 only. The remaining 764 were for renewals.
“Our economy is really doing good as manifested in many developments, including the construction boom,” Tupas said, adding that in effect, more enterprises result to generation of more employment.
The DTI-Negros Occidental again noted bigger volume of registrants during the first quarter of the year.
This is because most businesses process their renewals especially in January, Tupas said.
With the agency’s 15-minute business registration processing, registrants are required to bring only photocopies of their valid identification cards.
In terms of registration fee, Tupas said the same rate applies this year.
DTI collects P215 from businesses within the barangays, and P515 for those in cities and municipalities.
The fee is P1,015 for regional businesses, and P2,015 for those national in scope.
“Registrants are urged to register first with the DTI before proceeding to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, and local government unit in processing their mayor’s permit,” Tupas reiterated.