GenSan targets P200-M revenue from biz permits

GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The city government aims to generate at least PHP180 to PHP200 million in revenues in the ongoing annual registration of new businesses and renewal of local business permits.

Rodilon Lacap, acting city treasurer, said Monday the projection was based on the more than 10,000 estimated existing and new businesses within the city's 26 barangays.

Lacap said they expect to process around 7,000 business permits until the end of the renewal and registration period on January 20.

"We have improved and further streamlined our processes so we can accommodate more clients," Lacap said.

The local government opened a one-stop-shop at the Investment Center building last Jan. 3 for the processing of business permits. A total of 1,065 business permits have been processed during the first two days of the registration and renewal period last week.

These comprise 1,061 applications from existing business and three new entities, mostly micro, small and medium enterprises.

For this year, the local government has targeted to complete the processing of business permits within two hours or less with the adoption of its new online system dubbed eTRACS.

The system mainly facilitates the faster movement of documents in various local government offices involved in the processing of business permits.

Dennis Fel Matutina, acting chief of the city's Information and Communications Technology Division, said they are continually monitoring the rollout of the new system to avoid possible problems.

“We have been assisting the involved units in sourcing out their requirements and providing coordination and standby technical support," Matutina said.

The enhanced system is a component of the city's streamlined business permits and licensing process, which adopted the tagline FAST or Friendly, Accessible, Simple, Timely. (PNA)