January 3, 2022 | Isabela City, Basilan – All roads led to City Hall today as applicants for new businesses and renewals of business licenses trooped to the first day of the YEAR-ROUND BUSINESS ONE STOP SHOP (YeR-BOSS) at the J. B. Dans Memorial Gymnasium, Sunrise, this city.

A total of twenty-four (24) renewals and two (2) new businesses were served on the first day. All of whose official Business Permits are expected to be released within 1-2 days’ reglamentary period as prescribed by law, fully streamlining the once-convoluted business application process into just three (3) easy steps:

1. Application of New or Renewed Business Permit (BPLO)

2. Assessment and Payment (CTO)

3. Release of duly signed Business Permit (BPLO)

The City of Isabela de Basilan, the 3RD MOST IMPROVED COMPONENT CITY in the Philippines’ Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index, fully commits itself to further improve ease of doing business especially as it strives to fully recover from the economic setback brought about by a nearly 2 year long global pandemic.

Anchored on Mayor Sitti Djalia A Turabin-Hataman’s 9-point Agenda, specifically on the realization of an economically progressive, inclusive and sustainable City, Isabela de Basilan has embarked on a series of measures which ensured that the usual stultifying bureaucratic red tape was cut to the barest minimim, or whenever possible, totally eliminated altogether.

In 2020, Isabela City recorded 1,340 registered businesses. This grew to 1,664 registered establishments in 2021, a real increase of 324 new business openings, equivalent to a 24.17% increase in registered businesses, year on year.

Moreover, the city experienced two years of successive growth even at the height of the pandemic, with three successive waves of COVID19 infection running rampant from June 2020 to December 2021. From 2019 to 2020 alone, a 28.19% jump in gross sales was reported by the city’s registered MSMEs, one of the highest recorded in the region.

2022 is expected to be yet another banner year for Isabela de Basilan, especially as the worse effects of the pandemic are beginning to wane, and just as weaker strains are spreading at the same time that vaccination is ramping up. The national economy is expected to recover to its brisk pre-COVID19 pace, and the local economy hopes to cash in on this looming windfall.

Towards this end, the LGU of Isabela City has rolled out several confidence-building measures meant to boost the city’s economic dynamism, already among the most robust in the Western Mindanao Growth Corridor.

ARTA-DTI-DILG-DICT JOINT MEMORANDUM CIRCULAR NO. 01, S. 2021 “GUIDELINES FOR PROCESSING BUSINESS PERMITS, RELATED CLEARANCES AND LICENSES IN ALL CITIES AND MUNICIPALITIES”

8.2 Standard Documentary Requirements

8.2.1 LGUs shall limit the documentary requirements for business permit applications to be submitted together with the UAF to those listed below:

NEW BUSINESS PERMIT APPLICATIONS:

a) Proof of registration i.e. Certificate of Registration:

i) Issued by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for all kinds of corporations;

ii) Issued by the Cooperative Devt Authority (CDA) for cooperatives;

iii) Issued by DTI for sole properietors

b) Proof of right of applicant to use location as business address, which may include any of the following:

i) If owned, proof of ownership – Transfer Certificate of Title or Tax Declaration

ii) If not owned by the applicant – Contract of Lease, Memorandum of Agreement, or written consent of property owner

c) Location plan or sketch of the location, clearly showing where business premises is located

d) Fire Safety Inspection Certificate for Occupancy, vaalid in the last 9 months (requirement of BFP)

e) For applicants with valid FSIC for occupancy

Affidavit of Undertaking that there had been no substantial changes made on the building/establishment given the FSIC (requirement of BFP)

BUSINESS PERMIT RENEWAL APPLICATIONS:

a) Proof of annual gross receipts which may include:

i) audited financial statements (AFS) or unaudited FS for those who are not required to file AFS with the BIR or

ii) Sworn declaration of gross sales or receipts; or

iii) income tax returns

8.2.2. In addition to those listed jn 8.2.1, LGUs may require clearances, permits, authorizations and certifications secured from NGAs in compliance to certain laws as listed herein.

Original post: