By Mae Singuay

At least 53 business establishments, most are tenants of a mall in Bacolod City’s downtown area, are under City Legal Office’s (CLO) monitoring for not securing business permits.

CLO head Romeo Carlos Ting, Jr. said that the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) recently conducted a business permit inspection at the shopping mall.

Of the 145 inspected, 53 have not secured their permits, Ting said.

Notices of violation have already been served to them, as business owners claimed that they are now processing their permits, he said.

Ting said they will still monitor them by verifying their information with the BPLO.

A notice of closure will be issued to them if they do not comply.

Ting said most establishments are printing shops, beauty parlors and gyms.

Earlier, the city government together with the National Bureau of Investigation conducted an entrapment operation after receiving complaints about fake business permits.

A falsification of public documents case was filed against Jaymoun Oliveros, an employee of a portrait gallery shop in the downtown area, after an operation drive was conducted on February 3./MS, WDJ