The IloIlo City Government issued a total of 18,033 business permits from January to August this year.
The number, according to the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO), was higher by 3.76 percent compared to 17,379 permits released in the same period a year ago.
Of the latest figure, 2,000 were new permits and 16,033 were renewals. Applicants for new permits went up by 15.7 percent while those who applied for the renewal of their permits increased by 9.86 percent.
Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (LEDIPO) head Velma Jane Lao attributed the increase in the number of businesses to the city’s “improving economy and livability.”
“The cost of doing business here is lower, and our services are more accessible with the opening of payment centers. Other people would do business here because of the physical environment,” she said in a report by the Philippine News Agency.
Meanwhile, City Mayor Jerry Treñas said the installation of offsite payment centers in malls “helped significantly and generated additional jobs for Ilonggos.”
Based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the city’s employment rate improved from 89 percent in 2022 to 95 percent this year.
The city government’s offsite payment centers handle, among others, the renewal of business permits, assists in the creation of the Integrated Business Permits and Licensing System and accounts assessment and payment for real property tax.IMT
