For entrepreneur Allan Corpuz, it was a pleasant surprise when he acquired the necessary documents for his business to start in less than an hour.

At 8:30 in the morning, he approached the Quezon City Business One Stop Shop, filled up a two-page Philippine Business Registry application form and submitted it to the teller for processing. Then, he proceeded to the verification counter to present his requirements. Upon checking the completeness of his documents, he was advised to go to the cashier for the payment. 

 

By 9:10 in the morning, he received his DTI Business Name Registration, Mayor’s Permit to Operate Business, and the QC Business License Plate. He can now start his business.

 

“Very quick and very easy”, says Corpuz, owner of Power Six Refrigeration and Industrial Automation, to the new process implemented by Quezon City Government for its business permit and licensing system (BPLS). 

 

Corpuz was one of the first walk-in applicants in QC who experienced the new and improved registration and licensing procedures for single proprietorship. He did not expect that the process would be better and much faster than before. He compared it to the old methods, which resulted to long queues and long waiting time, and when applicants had to go to each office just to register their businesses.

 

The QC government, together with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently launched the Philippine Business Registry at Quezon City Hall to offer new entrepreneurs a faster and more convenient method of listing their businesses and getting their permits. Quezon City is the first local government unit (LGU) to be connected with the PBR.

 

Philippine Business Registry is an integration of registration processes of six (6) government agencies, namely the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR),  Home Mutual Development Fund (Pag-Ibig), Philippine Health and Insurance Corp (PhilHealth), and Social Security System (SSS). 

 

Applicants do not need to go to each of these agencies. Instead, they can get their DTI business name registration, taxpayer identification number (TIN) from BIR, and employer registration numbers (ERNs) from Pag-ibig, SSS, and Philhealth in just one place. 

 

To serve its constituents better, Quezon City government linked the PBR with Business One Stop Shop (BOSS), its express lane for business licensing, making transactions seamless and hassle-free.

 

Corpuz, who also registered a business a couple of years ago, noticed the trouble-free registration procedures today with the use of the PBR. “You will not get confused with the steps, especially if it’s your first time to apply for a (business) permit.” He stated.

 

Business registration through PBR involves only a few simple steps. First, the applicant will fill up the application form and submit it to the teller for processing. Then, the applicant will pay for the business name registration, and the teller will issue the Business Name Registration Certificate, Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and the PBR-generated employee registration numbers (ERNs) from SSS, Pag-ibig, and Philhealth. The applicant can get the ERN certificates from respective agencies after the registration.

 

In order to facilitate the registration and licensing through QC’s BOSS, applicants should bring the complete set of requirements, such as ID card, Barangay Clearance, Title of Property, and location map. Those who have incomplete requirements will not be processed by QC’s BOSS until they complied with this set of requirements.

 

While Corpuz got his mayor’s permit to operate his business, he will still have to comply with other requirements, such as the sanitary permit, fire inspection certificate, and locational clearance within 90 days. His business permit will be forfeited if he will not be able to conform to this another set of requirements within the prescribed period.

 

Enterprises belonging to minimally regulated/ low risk classification, like Corpuz’ fabrication of refrigeration system, can immediately start a business. Other businesses under this classification include law firms, consultancy firms, sari-sari stores, retail peddlers, carinderia, marketing and management consultancy, engineering and plumbing services, among others.

 

However, businesses classified under high risk category shall secure all the clearances before they could operate their enterprises.

 

With PBR in place, registration and licensing of business in Quezon City is now easier and faster, saving more time and energy for entrepreneurs like Corpuz. 

 

With a lot of time to spare, Corpuz is now set to open his shop in Cubao, Quezon City without the fuss.