• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Public utility transportation businesses shall be required to secure a traffic and transportation clearance from the Bacolod Traffic and Transportation Management Department (BTTMD) as a condition precedent to the issuance or renewal of a business permit to operate in Bacolod City.
The streamlining of requirements, under the “Public Utility Transportation Business Permit Streamlining Ordinance of Bacolod City”, that the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on first, second, and third and final reading, under suspended rules last week, states that public transportation businesses would no longer be required to secure zoning, environmental, and police clearance in applying for or renewing a business permit.
The ordinance covers jeepneys, taxis, tricycles, buses, transport network vehicle services (TNVS), and other similar transport services, as may be authorized by law.
“The BTTMD clearance shall confirm that the proposed or continuing operation is consistent with the city’s traffic management policies, route rationalization plans, and public safety standards,” Councilor Dindo Ramos, who authored the ordinance, stressed.
Section 6 of the ordinance states that “no city office, department, or unit shall impose or require any additional requirement for the issuance or renewal of a business permit, other than those expressly provided under this ordinance and applicable national laws and regulations. Any additional requirement imposed in violation of this provision shall be considered ultra vires and void.”
Ramos, chairperson of the SP Committee on Transportation and Traffic, said that the imposition of redundant or unnecessary clearances in the processing of business permits for public utility transportation contributes to delay and runs counter to the declared policy of the State to promote efficient government service.
He added that public utility transportation businesses are imbued with public interest, and essential to the mobility, safety, and economic activity of residents of Bacolod, hence the need to streamline the business permit processing while ensuring traffic management, public safety, and regulatory compliance.
Simplifying the requirements and ensuring that only necessary clearances directly related to public safety and traffic management are required for this sector is also aligned with the policy of the city government to promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the processing of business permits, consistent with the Anti-Red Tape Act, as amended by Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, the ordinance, co-authored by Councilor Caesar Distrito, stressed.
The deadline in applying for or renewing business permits and licenses in Bacolod has been extended until March 31 this year.
Per records from the Business Permits and Licensing Office, 12,493 businesses have registered through the Business One-Stop-Shop (BOSS) ongoing at the Bacolod Government Center, as of Jan. 13, with 938 business permits already issued. | CGC
