Resto grill shows proof that business has all the permits

CEBU - The management of the establishment that Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña ordered closed last week showed that they have all the documents making their operation legal contending there was just a “miscommunication.”

Rodrigo “Eric” Collarin, owner of Let’s Morning the Night resto grill showed to The FREEMAN yesterday their barangay business clearance certificate issued by Kamagayan barangay captain Celestino Avila dated May 2, 2008.

Aside from this, they also showed their electrical permit issued last April 3, 2008, building permit issued last June 6, 2008, locational clearance and certificate of zoning compliance dated February 29, 2008, certificate of business name registration issued last June 1.

The establishment also showed documents for their business tax payment certificate dated August 27, 2008, a sanitary permit issued last June 19, 2008, certificates of payment for the Social Security Service and Philhealth.

“Tinarong intawon ni among negosyo. We have paid all the taxes. Ang gipa-abot namo ang official seal na lang sa siyudad nga e-isyu namo. All other requirements, we have complied already,” Collarin said.

It may be recalled that Mayor Osmeña ordered the closure of the establishment last week after urban poor consultant Gerry Marquez made a recommendation to close it due to a complaint that says the establishment is so noisy because of the live bands.

Collarin however said that their music is just slow rock, ballads and pop and not rock music.

Neverthless, Collarin already wrote a letter to Osmeña dated September 4 asking for reconsideration of the closure order.

The letter reads that there was just a miscommunication between the management and Marquez as they were not able to produce the necessary documents when asked if they have complied with the necessary permits.

“We would most respectfully request for reconsideration and allow us to operate again,” the letter reads.

The management also proposed that they will have a combo play until 10:00 in the evening during weekdays and until 12 midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Collarin also denied that they defied the closure order of the mayor saying since it was ordered closed, they did not open it again but the volunteers of Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) are the ones using some of the stalls to cook barbeque and other food for the more than 500 indigent children in Kamagayan for free.

The JPIC is a mission group based in University of San Carlos that Collarin is supporting.

But he said as a business establishment, they are not operating sans the lifting order of the mayor.

He also added that the 24 stalls are not renting P6,000 per month to him, but are paying P200 per day as service fee, to be used as payment for electricity, water and other taxes.

Part of the profit, he said, will go to some of the adopted communities that he and his Redeemer Big Bikes Association are adopting like in barangay Kalunasan wherein they conducted feeding program and distributed school supplies from time to time. — Mitchele L. Palaubsanon/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)