THE Office of the Building Official (OBO) in Bacolod City collected P26.9-million worth of regulatory fees for the one-year period ending June 30, 2017.
OBO records showed that private construction costs aggregated P2.7 billion, with 1,260 building permits issued. It also collected P6.4 million in zoning fees.
In his State of the City Address on Friday, October 27, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said that “given the picture of two giants, the Ayala Land Inc. and Megaworld Corp., having their super infrastructure projects in full swing, such activities will surely reverberate into the core of Bacolod economy.”
He said this is aside from the prospects that Robinsons Place and SM City will soon expand their infrastructure bases, and added to all these are the construction of Double Dragon’s City Malls and the proposed massive building projects of Cebu Landmasters Inc.
“So now, here we can say that when the really big players are in our playground, our economy can be bursting given the job opportunities that will be created, among others,” Leonardia added.
From January to June 30, 2017, the Permits and Licensing Division issued a total of 20,286 business permits compared to 17,488 for the same period last year.
“This means a notable increase of 16 percent. What we also even find very encouraging is the increase of 628 new business registered from 2,501 to 3,129 or a very significant increase of 25 percent,” Leonardia said.
He said the Permits and Licensing Division is also guided by the three-point agenda of the administration concentrating on restoring business confidence.
Leonardia added that one of the major accomplishments of the office is its contribution to the increase in revenue. A number of reforms have been implemented which resulted to the increase in number of new investments, he further said.
Through the City Ordinance No. 09-17-805 extending the deadline of the permits and licenses and the payment of business taxes, fees and charges without penalties and surcharges, Leonardia said from January 21 to February 28 this year, 6,277 businesses that were processed were not fined.
“There are unmistakable indications we are back on track. New business registrations went up, during this period, accounting for 4,168 new enterprises registered,” the mayor added.