[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’744 boardinghouses sans biz permit’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RESEL JOY TIANERO
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Thursday, June 15, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – Hundreds of boardinghouses in this city are operating without a business permit. The local government is warning against them.
Of the 1,919 that the Boarding House Commission inspected on June 9, a total of 744 have not yet acquired or renewed their business permits.
“Wala pa gid sila naka-process,” said the commission head Ben Palma. “Amo ni ang ginabalik-balik sang aton nga mga tawo kay para nga ma-correct naton ang ila nga mga violations.”
A total of 164 boardinghouses already have business permits but still lack sanitary and fire safety permits, Palma said.
Charges will be filed against boardinghouse owners who will continue to operate without complying with all the requirements, Palma warned.
Prospective tenants, especially students, were cautioned against boardinghouses that lack the necessary permits. Such establishments may be prone to health and fire risks.
The Boarding House Commission urged the students’ parents to help double-check if the boardinghouses of their children are clean and with sufficient water supply.
Boardinghouses must also have fire and emergency exits, fire walls, and emergency lamps.
Those with two stories and higher must have fire alarm systems, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Safety should be a paramount concern, more than the rent, City Fire Marshal Jerry Candido stressed.
The BFP has issued fire safety permits to 853 boardinghouses last year. As of May this year, 706 of them have renewed such permits, Candido said.
While the bureau conducts inspections twice a week, it finds difficulty locating all boardinghouses in the metro.
“There are boardinghouses that we don’t know exist, especially those that cater to only five to six boarders,” Candido said.
Not all boardinghouses are built to accommodate a big number of tenants.
Most are residential structures with spare rooms, and these are located in congested barangays, he noted.
Boardinghouses found to be noncompliant with BFP requirements are given 15 days to comply.
If they fail, their names will be forwarded to the Boarding House Commission or the Business Permits and Licensing Office for appropriate action. (With a report from Philippine News Agency/PN)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
