LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Mayor Romeo K. Salda ordered the closure of an going trade fair in a private property along Km. 5, Balili, due to issues of structural stability of the constructed structure housing the commercial booths.
In a cease and desist order issued to the trade fair operator, Salda based the issuance of the cease and desist order in the letter dated December 20, 2019 of Engr. Benedict P. Pineda, municipal building official, to prevent the opening of the same to the public until such time that all permit requirements shall have been secured and that the overall safety of the public is ensured.
“In as much as the safety of the public is at stake, and considering further that the required permits were not secured, the business operator, or all persons acting in her behalf or all persons who may have leased from her commercial stalls or boots, should cease and desist from opening the aforementioned commercial booths to the public until such time that the operator and her lessees shall have obtained the necessary permits for the said structure and for their businesses, from this local government unit,” Mayor Salda stated in the issued cease and desist order.
The municipal chief executive also required the business operator to explain under oath within 5 days from receipt of the cease-and-desist order why the constructed unsafe structure should not be demolished for lack of building permit and her business of renting out the commercial booths permanently closed for lack of the necessary business permit.
The Office of the Municipal Engineer and the La Trinidad Municipal Police Office were ordered to serve the cease-and-desist order to the trade fair operator and to all persons acting for and in her behalf and to all her lessees who may have leased from her commercial stalls and booths and to monitor their compliance to the same.
Earlier, a trade fair operator allegedly leased the vacant area near a fastfood chain along Km. 5, Balili, La Trinidad, Benguet where construction activities commenced for the put up of supposed commercial booths without the benefit of securing the necessary building permits for such purpose.
Engrs. Jasmin C. Tacio and Daryl Kipas and Glenn Depoa of the Office of the Municipal Engineer, upon inspection of the said commercial booths informed Engr. Pineda that the structure does not appear to be structural stable which may pose danger to the public.
“We do not oppose the conduct of any business activity in the municipality, provided that, those interested to do so should comply with the basic requirements of securing the appropriate permits from the concerned offices of the municipal government. Further, we also have to make sure that the sites of such business activities are safe to prevent the occurrence of untoward incidents that will pose a serious threat to life and limb,” Mayor Salda added.
He underscored that what the municipal government wants is for interested business operators to comply with the prescribed rules and regulations because it will be the local officials who will be held liable once there are untoward incidents that will happen in the said commercial areas, especially when the same had not been issued the necessary permits by the concerned offices, thus, safety of the public should be the primordial concern before anything else.
By HENT
Photo by Armando M. Bolislis
