“Padaliin pa ang pagkuha ng mga business permits para sa mga negosyo sa Biñan City.”
That was the directive of Biñan City Mayor Arman Dimaguila to the city’s Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) at the start of the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) last January 6.
A month later, it is now clear that the BPLO’s efforts to abide by this directive had paid off its dividends – not only in the increased revenue received by the city government but also by the increased trust of the city’s entrepreneurs that their legitimate businesses will be protected by the city government.
Revenue increase
Data released to OpinYon Laguna by the BPLO showed a steady increase in the number of new businesses registering in Biñan City for this year.
During the BOSS, which was conducted from January 6 to 20, a total of 155 new businesses registered in Biñan City, a 9.92-percent increase compared to the 141 new businesses registered during the 2024 BOSS.
Meanwhile, the number of businesses who renewed their permits also increased by 1.60 percent, from 3,421 businesses in 2024 to 3,476 businesses in 2025.
The amount of collected revenue during the same period also increased by 11.41 percent - from P354.8 million in 2024 to P395.3 million in 2025.
When the BOSS was extended to January 31 to accommodate the increase in new business, the final total was 296 new businesses registered (compared to the 283 new businesses recorded up to January 31, 2024).
And while the number of businesses which renewed their licenses dropped slightly to 6,169 (compared to 6,174 recorded in 2024), the total revenue collected by the BPLO at the end of the BOSS was P588.2 million, higher by 4.36 percent compared to the P563.6 million collected in 2024.
‘Pagandahin pa ang serbisyo’
In a recent interview with OpinYon Laguna, Atty. Edward Vange Arriba, head of the BPLO, emphasized that the main goal of BOSS is to provide the city’s entrepreneurs faster, more efficient ways of registering their businesses.
“Ang bilin po sa amin ni Mayor Dimaguila ay pagandahin pa ang mga serbisyo ng BPLO sa pagkuha ng business permits para sa mga negosyo dito sa lungsod ng Biñan," Arriba told OpinYon Laguna.
As part of such measures, the BPLO decided to conduct the BOSS at a larger, more spacious venue at the Alonte Sports Arena.
“Maliit lang po ang opisina ng BPLO [sa Biñan City Hall], and with the sheer number of taxpayers that we have, around 10,000 of them, it’s almost impossible to accommodate them in a level na magiging convenient para sa kanila. So ang nakita po talaga naming solusyon ay pumunta po dito sa Alonte Sports Arena,” Arriba explained.
“Ang kagandahan po dito sa pagganap natin ng BOSS sa Alonte Sports Arena ay isang ikot na lang po at makukuha na po nila ang kanilang business permit. And of course, nariyan pa rin po ang ating best practices ng pag-aalok ng libreng snacks at drinks para po sa ating mga business registrants,” he added.
Not to mention, of course, that since 2021, business owners in Biñan City can now register their businesses online thanks to the Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) Online portal.
In fact, the city of Biñan was hailed last year by the Anti-Red Tape Commission (ARTA) as one of the only three local governments in Laguna province that had implemented an electronic BOSS system.
Due to such measures, waiting times for business registration have been cut “by one-third,” a win-win both for entrepreneurs and local government employees.
“Kung dati po ay inaabot pa po kami ng gabi o madaling-araw, ngayon po, alas-sais pa lang po ng gabi ay tapos na po kami dito,” Arriba related.
Ensuring consumers’ safety
This month of February also marked another important milestone in the BPLO’s campaign to ensure that businesses in Biñan City follow the law and ensure the safety of their customers.
Last February 4, Arriba himself led a raid inside a warehouse in Barangay San Antonio that was allegedly involved in repacking expired goods.
Operatives of the BPLO, along with the Public Order and Safety Office (POSO) and the Biñan City police, conducted the raid after surveillance operations confirmed the illegal activity inside the warehouse.
According to Rommel Lim, head of the Biñan City POSO, authorities received tips from sources about the illegal repacking of expired products, mostly food and drink products such as canned goods, packed drinks, and even perishable items like cheese and spreads.
The modus changing the expiration dates on the packaging to make it appear that they are still safe to eat, before selling them at low prices to retailers and online.
The POSO head said his office, along with the BPLO, is intensifying its efforts to monitor warehouses, groceries and sidewalk vendors in Biñan City to apprehend suspected repackers and sellers of expired products.
"This is so alarming, kasi pati po mga consumers natin sa National Capital Region ay affected na po dahil doon po dinadala yung mga ni-repack na produkto. At yung ginagamit na barcode ng mga supermarket, yun din po ang ginagamit ng mga nagre-repack nitong mga expired products," Lim told OpinYon Laguna.
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