Owners urged to register businesses, assured of hassle-free process

By Danilo E. Doguiles

Friday 1st of June 2012

KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, June 1 (PIA) -- Business owners should acquire legal status for their investments by registering with their respective local government units and the Department of Trade and Industry, an official said.

DTI-Sultan Kudarat Provincial Director Nelly Nita Dillera also assured businesspersons of a speedy processing especially through a simplified and computerized Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) the department is now implementing with LGUs across the region.

“DTI has a two-pronged function, to help those who would like to venture into enterprises and to help them attain legal identity for their businesses,” Dillera said during the DTI 12 sponsored “Unlad Pinoy” radio program over the weekend.

“We want them to legalize their businesses so we encourage them to acquire business permits from their LGUs and register their business names with the DTI,” she added.

BPLS, which she said is being pushed by the national government to advance the competitiveness of Philippine businesses, addresses several problems and concerns including among others lengthy processing period and red-tape.

Dillera explained that many investors were discouraged to legitimize their businesses by a number of factors including various steps in the procedure, several persons and offices involved in the process, separate inspections that needed to be complied with, and different charges, depending on the LGU.

“In the past, release of a business permit could take at least a month,” she pointed out, “but now (through the BPLS) our target is for applicants to receive their business permits within one day.”

She added, “At DTI, depending on the speed of (internet) connection, 15 minutes would be the longest time one should spend to get their business name registration.”

With the BPLS either in LGUs or DTI offices, applicants need not wait for the approving officials for them to physically affix their signatures because documents will be signed using the e-signature feature of the system.

This particular feature, she said, also resolves the traditional practices of waiting for officials to sign their documents where illegal under-the-table transactions used to happen if one wants to hasten the process.

The system also keeps the fees uniform.

“At DTI, applicants only need to pay P200 plus P15 for documentary stamps for barangay-based businesses and P500 plus P15 documentary stamps for business name registration for national businesses,” Dillera said. “This is renewable every five years.”

In the same manner, she added, the computerized system also fixes the fees that should be collected from business permit applicants.

The issue on the requirements for several and separate reviews by fire, sanitary, and other inspectors are also being addressed, the official said.

Since LGUs hold one-stop shops for renewal of business permits during the first quarter, joint inspection teams of each LGU are directed to inspect as early as November all businesses scheduled for renewal in January to March of the following year.

Dillera cited improvements in the business names registration in Sultan Kudarat Province with the implementation of the new ystem, the BPLS.

“The number of business names registered in Sultan Kudarat increased by 84 percent in 2011 as compared to 2010 data,” she said.

Besides services regarding legitimization of businesses , DTI 12 also offers several services intended to expand opportunities of emerging and established enterprises through regular trade fairs, seminars, market matching and many others. (DED-PIA 12)