85 biz establishments found with no permits; nine with violations

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- Over a hundred establishments along Marcos Highway were subjected to lightning inspections by joint teams composed of city government offices  Aug. 22 as part of aggressive clean and orderly campaign.
    Establishments found to have incurred violations were issued notices.
    Initial reports said the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) found 85 establishments that have no building permits while City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) had nine others with environmental infringement.
    Mayor Benjamin Magalong ordered the inspections Aug. 21 after noting disorderly and dirty conditions in the area particularly from the Sto. Tomas Junction going down Baguio-Tuba boundary.
    As directed by the mayor, the Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) and the Permits and Licensing Division (PLD) both under the City Mayor’s Office took the lead with the City Health Services Office (CHSO) Sanitation Division checking for violations of the Sanitation and Health codes, the CBAO looking into the establishments’ compliance with the building permit and other requirements of the National Building Code, the CEPMO checking on their compliance with the City Environmental Code,  City Engineering Office to assess the road condition and the General Services Office (GSO) which hauled garbage and debris gathered.
    The group, divided into two teams, was accompanied by the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) operatives, and the barangay officials of Sto. Tomas Proper and Dontogan.
    The PLD checked on the status of business operations in the area to determine if these have complied with the business permit rule.
    The following day, the office met with the 29 business operators in the area who had been issued closure orders earlier to discuss their circumstances in the presence of the lawyers from the City Legal Office.

Magalong thanked the team for the swift and substantial action.

“Thank you Teams for today’s hard work.  Your efforts resulted in disciplining our businessmen along Marcos Highway.  That area as we know is a gateway to our city and must be maintained at all times not only for beautification but more importantly for health and sanitation purposes,” he said.

A barangay kagawad said the barangay had been encountering problems in maintaining cleanliness along the highway especially along the boundary  area.

“We were really requesting for an inspection of the business establishments in our area because while the barangay was always conducting clean-up drive, we often advise the business owners on maintaining cleanliness but they telling us off claiming they are covered by the city even if they dump their wastes in the drainage.  This is why this side is always filled with trash,” she said.