Tuba, Benguet – Mayor Ignacio Rivera called on business establishments in the barangays of the municipality to file for the renewal of their permits the soonest possible time and avail of the services of the local government’s one-stop shop.
The local chief executive assured owners of business establishments that the renewal of their permits and the payment of their business taxes with the local government will be much easier this time because of the reactivation of the one-stop shop to cater to their needs and lessen their inconvenience.
“We call on our business owners to file the renewal of their permits or their applications for new business permits the earliest possible time to prevent congestion in our one-stop shop during the last day of renewal or application of business permits,” Rivera stressed.
Under the provisions of the Local Government Code, applications for new permits and renewal of business permits shall only be from January 1 to 20 of every year and that local governments must operationalize their respective one-stop shop service centers to serve clients.
Rivera explained business taxes being paid by local businessmen are just part of the internally generated resources of the local government combined with externally generated resources to sustain the implementation of development projects in the different barangays and improve the delivery of basic services to their constituents.
He expressed confidence that with the master plan of the local tourism industry being put in place, businesses in the thirteen barangays will flourish in the next several years that can generate additional jobs for qualified local residents and improve livelihoods for the people in the said areas.
According to him, the increase in business operations in the different parts of the municipality through the years has made Tuba one of the fast growing localities outside Baguio City, thus, the local government must improve its programs and projects to conform with the prevailing situation and future developments.
He added playing host to four national roads cutting through the different barangays is one of the factors that continues to trigger economic activities in the different areas considering that there is easy access to the barangays situated along the Kennon Road, Marcos Highway, Naguilian Road and the newly-built Baguio-Asin-San Pascual-Aringay Road.
Tuba is one of the projected growth areas within the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area because of the availability of large parcels of lands that could be developed for commercial and industrial purposes.
Mayor Rivera appealed to local business operators in the municipality to cooperate with the efforts of the local government to generate additional resources that could be plowed back to the people in the form of projects and programs, thus, the need for them to secure their permits and pay the taxes due to the government.
By HENT
Why we need clearance from Philex Mines before allowing us to renew our business permit. Philex does not own the ancestral land. One employee at the Tuba one stop shop is very defensive and not considerate on issues affecting indigenous peoples in Tuba, particularly in Philex. Being an IP herself she said, the office has nothing to do whether IP or not. She is not aware that being employee of the state, the state shall respect the rights of IPs.
I went to inquire there last Jan. 15, 2017.