Two Davao City Councilors said claims that business permits in the city are taking too long to process are purely propaganda, citing that any delays are either applicants submitted incomplete requirements or were using the services of fixers.
Councilor Diosdado Angelo Mahipus, Committee on Ethics chair, said the claims are not true.
During last week’s City Council regular session, Mahipus responded to the pronouncement made by Councilor Bernie Al-ag that there were investors complaining that they were being asked to come back a couple of times before their business permits were released.
“Yung ginaingon na ginabalik balik mao tu ang mga kulang ug requirements, ug naay sayop sa requirements. Kay kung kompleto ang imong requirements, wala ma’y rason na magbalik balik, gawas kung ang fixer or ang runner maoy nagpalisod sa ilang trabaho,” said Mahipus.
He added that the City Government of Davao has already instituted the “approve now, inspect later” plan saying that even if there were citations for violations, nothing was demolished and everyone was required simply comply with the requirements.
“As employees of this government, we can’t just close our eyes kung merong mga kulang but they can undertake to comply so that hindi naman matawag na may lapses din sa administration. Pero walang pinapahirapan, this is just propaganda,” he said.
Mahipus said the city government of Davao has been instituting programs to fast-track the processing of permits.
“Not all complaints are true and not all complaints are accurate. Because I have seen the institutionalization of mechanisms to fast track the processes, kaya lang meron kasing iba na kumukuha ng fixers so yung mga fixers yun sila usually naghahanap ng problema para mahirapan yung kliyente nila na nangangailangan ng tulong nila. There are no perfect systems but yung system ng Davao is very good already but we are in the constant effort to improve things,” Mahipus told Edge Davao.
Meanwhile, Councilor Bonz Andre Militar, chairperson of the Committee on Information and Technology, said he already consulted the head of the Business Bureau and the City Building Official regarding the business permit process.
“Hatagan mo ug requirements syempre madugay ang application kay dugay man sila mu-submit ug requirements. Ang atoang mga digitalization sa city naa ta’y included dinha ang feature na tracking system. Example humana ang application, kompleto na ang requirement, hatagan ang isa ka tao na mag approve ana ug three days to four days, mag alert dayon na sa head kung nganong nagdugay na,” Militar said.
He said most of the business permits are released quickly because the clients complied with all the requirements.
“Dili tinuod nang dugay ta maka-release. Unsay purpose nato ngano dugay ta mag release? Kung kompleto ang requirements nimo, naa tay tracking system ug naka record na ang tanan sa data base kung unsa ang transaction time. Very active ang atoang mga department heads and paspas sila mag approve kung kompleto ang requirements,” he said.
Militar advised business permit applicants to process their applications themselves as some requirements are just too technical.
“Panawagan nako sa mga naga apply ug business permit much better na ang inyuhang ipa-process kay naa gyud alam kay naa ta’y requirement sa city na technical gyud ug dapat kabalo ka sa mga technicalities ana nga requirements. Dili tinuod na madugay atong permit dinha sa atong mga government agencies,” he said.
