One-stop-shop for business permits opens at Dumaguete City Hall

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) in this city finally began its full operation last Monday at the second floor of the City Hall.

Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria said BOSS is a system of which all government agencies involved in the processing of business permits are gathered in one area inside the City Hall, and business owners no longer have to go far to various offices to have their permits cleared or processed.

Sagarbarria said he expected more than 4,000 businesses in the city will avail themselves of the BOSS program, participated in by the City Hall departments: permits section, City Veterinary Office, City Environment and Natural Resources, City Engineering Office and the Office for City Health Services.

The national line agencies also involved in BOSS are the Social Security System, PhilHealth, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Trade and Industry.

City Administrator William Ablong said the BOSS in the city was launched on October 2010. Before this program, a business owner would spend three days to one week to process his business permit, but at the advent of BOSS, it would take a business owner less than a day for the processing, he said.

Ablong reminded business owners that BOSS is being conducted in the first month of every year. (FREEMAN)