Binay slams BFP for delay in business permit's processing

MANILA, Philippines - Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay on Friday slammed the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for causing alleged delays in the processing and issuance of business permits at the Makati City Hall.

Binay also lashed at tge BFP for its alleged inaction on the complaints of business owners who were reportedly harassed by fire inspectors.

Binay said in a statement that his office has been receiving a lot of complaints from business owners that it is taking them much longer than usual to secure their business permits because of the slow processing by BFP personnel of their assessment and payment of Fire Code taxes and fees.

“Makati and the other local government units have been taking steps to support the national government’s program to cut down processing time for business permits. But we have here a national government agency burdening investors by adding a layer of red tape. What’s worse, there have been mounting complaints of fire inspectors harassing business owners and these complaints have not been acted upon by the BFP,” Binay said.

Binay said his office has also been receiving numerous complaints from business owners regarding harassment by fire inspectors of the BFP.

“My office has been receiving reports from the business community that some BFP personnel are using the Fire Code to force or coerce businesses into buying fire extinguishers and sprinklers from fire personnel themselves. No wonder businessmen feel that corruption has worsened,” Binay said.

Under the Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008, a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC) is a prerequisite for the issuance of a business or mayor’s permit and other permits.

Starting this year, the assessment and payment of Fire Code taxes and fees are no longer handled by the City Business Permit Office, but by BFP personnel in a separate area at the ground floor of the City Hall main building.

The BFP is invoking the implementing guidelines of the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines of 2008, which has vested the authority to assess and collect the said fees on the agency, to justify the takeover.

Binay said the added layer to the business permit application process has become a burden to business owners and investors.

"There are long lines, the processing is slow and tedious. This is not the way to attract investors," he said.

Binay also called on the concerned national government agency to immediately take action to address the valid issues of harassment and coercion raised by the business sector.

“The reports of harassment by some BFP personnel are alarming and need to be addressed by the BFP with urgency,” Binay said.

"What the BFP is doing is counter productive and undermjnes the Aquino administration's goal of making our country more attractive to investors. It is disappointing that one national government agency can throw a roadblock on our President's program," he added.

For his part, Makati Fire Marshal Ric Perdigon said all complaints of irregularities and the alleged harrasment by fire inspectors have all been investigated.

"We are looking into all these reports. In fact, some cases have already been filed," said Perdigon.

Meanwhile, an official of the Makati Fire Department said the delay in the processing of the business permits is caused by the lack of the BFP of a computerized system to handle it.

According to the official who declined to be identified, the collection of the fire code tax was originally a function of the City Treasurer's Office. According to the official, the BFP only started collecting the taxes last year as mandated by Republic Act 9514 or the Revised Fire Code of the Philippines.

"We are not really ready for this. What we are experinecing now is a clogging of the system. The collection went from being computerized when it was being done by the Treasurer's Office. Now it is being done manually," the official said.

According to the official, there were eight collection windows at the Makato City Hall when the fire tax was collected by the City Treasurer's Office. Now there is just one, the official said.

The official said that at present, there are 49 BFP personnel working in shifts at the business permit one-stop-shop at the Makati City Hall.

"If we have a computerized system, we would only need five to accept and process the payments. We are really not ready for this," said the official.