As Cagayan de Oro City Hall begins preparations for next year’s business permit renewal and registration, a proposal to set up one-stop business shops in the city’s malls is being floated for implementation in 2025.

 

‘With regards to off-site (registration and business permit renewal) in the city’s malls—based on our (Nov. 8 meeting, we’re not prepared to do this. But we do have a plan (that hopefully in 2025) we can set up a one-stop business shop whole year round,’ said Asst. City Treasurer Leonil Mistula in Filipino.

 

City Hall officials met to discuss preparations for the annual business permit renewal and registration which will be held in January next year at the City Tourism Hall.

 

In order to decongest City Hall of long lines of business permit applicants and traffic within the area, officials plan to ramp up its education campaign to encourage the public to focus their transactions online.

 

The Business Permit Licensing Division (BPLD) said City Hall registered 31,652 business permits for renewal and registration as of November 9 this year or slightly higher than the 29,696 recorded for the same period last year.

 

From Jan. 3 up to the Feb. 28 extended deadline, the city recorded 22,633 business permit renewals or 28 percent more than last year’s 17,537. Of the 22,633 that renewed their business permits, about 1,108 did so online.

 

Mistula explained that City Hall wants to encourage business owners to conduct their transactions online for their convenience in compliance with the national government’s Ease of Doing Business (EOB) campaign.

 

City Hall did conduct off-site registration and business permit renewal at one of the city’s malls early this year. But majority of the applicants still applied for business permit renewals and registration at the City Tourism Hall.

 

To encourage the public to transact off-site away from City Hall, Mistula said City Hall should expand its services to include not only business permit renewal and registration but tax payments as well.

 

During the Nov. 8 meeting at the City Council conference room, Mistula said the public can be persuaded to transact their business with City Hall off-site if they establish a presence in areas with high foot traffic similar to offices established by government agencies inside malls.

 

‘This business one-stop shop (to be set up by City Hall should be available) year round, at an area with the most number of applicants. We have two districts so most likely we’ll establish two business one-stop shops. We have to consider accessibility, strong Wi-Fi connection and a substantial area to accommodate regulatory offices like City Building Office and so on,’ Mistula said. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)