• THERESA MAE DULMAN
A regulatory framework outlining the specific guidelines for the issuance of a special business permit to govern micro-enterprises operating across Bacolod City is being pushed for approval by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, who authored the proposed ordinance, said this aims to address the high number of individuals conducting business in areas they do not legally own, by establishing clear protocols for small-scale businesses, including home-based, sari-sari stores, and ambulant vendors.
He explained that these businesses comprise the informal or “underground economy”, operating without proper permits, though the goods being sold are entirely legal.
“Under the national law on Ease of Doing Business, one of the requirements is the authority, go-signal, or authorization from the landowner to the business establishment to file for a business permit,” Sayson said.
“But common sense dictates, who among the landowners would give permission to an informal settler to do business? The tendency is that they will just keep operating their business without a permit, so we are trying to bridge the gap by giving them a permit without giving them any right over the land,” he added.
Sayson said the city is looking at the situation from a broader perspective, noting that closing these establishments would affect thousands of individuals.
“Without a permit, they cannot be inspected by the City Health Office and the Bureau of Fire Protection,” he added.
Sayson said that since these businesses are already established, the city might as well look for alternative ways to control them and issue temporary permits, which would legally allow the city to inspect their operations.
The proposal is up for second reading, with the committee report adopted by the SP during its regular session July 15.
Under the proposed guidelines, an applicant’s enterprise must be classified as a micro-business, which is strictly defined as having gross annual sales not exceeding P250,000 and an initial capitalization under P150,000. | TMD
