Bacolod City gov’t probes fake business permits

BACOLOD CITY — The local government in this city is investigating the issuance of fake business permits to determine who is behind it.

“A preliminary investigation is being conducted to determine if this happened with the consent of persons working for the city government or was done by outsiders who work as fixers,” said Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez.

He said he also received information about the involvement of some people who are no longer part of the city government.

Some businessmen, the mayor said, were surprised to find out that their permits were invalid.

“Business owners should double check if their business permits are valid,” he said.

In his State of the City Address on July 5, Benitez said it took the past administration a long time for permits to be processed, prompting some businessmen to seek the help of “fixers” to hasten the release of the document.

“What some of them did not know is that their business permits were fake,” he said.

This type of permits during the previous administration, he added, lacked security features to make sure they were not fake.

Under his administration, Benitez said QR codes are placed on business permits to ensure they are not bogus.

“An online tracking system of documents has also been set up to hasten the release of business permits,” he said.

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