LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal government is targeting to register more than ten thousand businesses that will be registered this year because of the ongoing gradual and safe revival of the economy that was heavily impacted by the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Romeo K. Salda reported that the municipal government is optimistic there will be an increase in the number of businesses this year primarily due to the easing up of the earlier stringent community quarantine restrictions to help the municipality generate additional internally-generated resources to operationalize the 2023 annual budget.
Last year, there were more than 9,500 businesses registered by the municipal business permits and licensing office amidst the emergence of the various variants of the deadly virus that caused the implementation of stringent community quarantine restrictions to prevent the rapid spread of the said illness.
The municipal chief executive claimed there are businesses that temporarily ceased operations which are currently resuming their business activities so it is possible that the number of registered business will exceed 10,000 for the year.
He disclosed that the national tax allocation for the municipal government for this year was slashed by more than P61 million which will mean a lot in sustaining the delivery of basic services and the implementation of the town’s priority development projects.
According to him, the only way by which the municipal government can cover the reduction of the national tax allotment is to increase its internally-generated resources which will heavily rely on the business activities from the different barangays.
Salda rallied owners of various business establishments to secure their respective permits to operate from the municipal government to ensure the legitimacy of their operations and contribute in the overall efforts of the municipality to increase the internally-generated resources that will be used to further enhance the effective and efficient delivery back to them.
La Trinidad is the center of commerce and trade in Benguet because of its proximity to Baguio City where various types of businesses are flourishing as one of the premier tourist destinations in the country.
Earlier, the municipal government embarked on the online registration of businesses to help in increasing the locality’s income from operating businesses.
The mayor observed that businesses are thriving in the various barangays of the municipality after the government started easing up the implementation of community quarantine restrictions following the emergence of the various COVID-19 variants and that the road to recovery is right on track.
He assured businesses the municipal government will continue to embrace available technologies to further improve the process in the renewal and application of business permits in compliance to the Ease of Doing Business Act so that it will be convenient for business owners to secure their respective permits.
