By Erna Sy Gorne

Maasin City (4 August) -- What seems to be eternity of waiting and lining up get the signatures of almost all of the heads of offices aside from backtracking in production of voluminous documents required in getting the business permit and licenses, local businessmen now could take hold of their business permits in thirty minutes!

Local businessmen now need only to get a barangay clearance and Community Tax Certificate as requirements to apply for a business permit, Maasin City Treasurer Eliseo Costillas disclosed in an orientation on streamlining the business permits and licensing system (BPLS) initiated by the Department of Trade and Industry and the German Technical Cooperation (GTZed) held recently.

Thru the decisive leadership of Maasin City Maloney Samaco issued an executive order to minimize the document requirements and downsizing to three signatures namely, the licensing officer, city treasurer and the city mayor only.

After heated discussion during the series of fora with local businessmen, national lines agencies such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Social Security System (SSS), Philhealth, Bureau of Fire. among others, Mayor Maloney Samaco finally decided to take out the requirements of mentioned government agencies which used to be integrated in getting the business permit and licenses.

Maasin City Treasurer Eliseo Costillas further disclosed that with the total streamlining of the BPLS, the city government experienced a dramatic increase in the business tax and economic enterprises revenues in the first semester of 2009 in the amount of P10.8 Million and P6.7 Million, respectively, compared to the total business tax collected in the amount of P12.8 Million in 2008.