Cebu City asked to share revenue collection system

The German Technical Cooperation, an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development, is asking Cebu City to be a resource local government unit for a project aimed at improving competitiveness of LGU’s in the region in terms of revenue and service to the business sector.

In a letter sent to the city, German Technical Cooperation or GTZ program manager Doc Herwig Mayer; Department of Interior and Local Government Region 7 Director Pedro Noval Jr.; and Department of Trade and Industry Region 7 Director Asteria Caberte said the project specifically aims to streamline the Business Permit and Licensing System of the LGU’s.

 “We are aware that the Cebu City government has been successful in streamlining its own business permit and licensing system. In this regard, we are proposing and requesting that the Cebu City government be part of this project as the resource local government units from which all other LGU’s can learn,” the letter reads.

In a Memorandum of Understanding attached to the letter, the city would be tasked to assist other LGU’s by allowing them to benchmark with the city’s streamlined business permit and licensing system and to provide resource speakers during the trainings of the LGU’s.

Meanwhile, GTZ would be the one to compile, consolidate and collate all available materials on the streamlining and simplification of business permit and licensing system and come up with the terms of reference and training modules for key officials and personnel of the subject LGU’s.

A project team would also be created oversee the effective implementation of the streamlining and simplification of the systems in the subject LGU’s.

This year, the project targets to streamline the systems in 12 LGU’s in Cebu, four in Bohol, four in Negros Oriental, and two in Siquijor.

Records at the Bureau of Local Government Finance showed that Cebu City is one of the top revenue collectors among the LGU’s in the region.

GTZ promotes complex reforms and changes processes, often working under difficult conditions. Its corporate objective is to improve people’s living conditions on a sustainable basis.  — Rene U. Borromeo/JMO