The city government through the Permits and Licensing Division (PLD) closed 144 business establishments for lack of permit from January to October.
An optical store at the Gamaphel Building in Calderon St. is the latest establishment to be closed. It is owned by a certain Job Rico Silva-Netto and engaged in the retail of optical goods without a business permit.
Based on PLD records, one Sandra R. Silva-Netto has a pending business permit application at the same building for “retail of optical products and wholesale of photographic and optical goods” but the same lacked clearances from the City Health Services Office and City Buildings and Architecture Office, a lease contract, and registration from the Department of Trade and Industry.
PLD records showed the closed optical store is manned by a certain Carl/Karl Silva-Netto who was entrapped by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Baguio City in an operation last Jan. 16, 2019 for illegal practice of profession. The Professional Regulatory Commission certified that Karl Silva-Netto does not appear in the database for optometrists in the Philippines.
A closure order was also issued against the subleasing operation of a certain Teresa C. Guzman at Gamaphel Building for lack of permit.
The stall subleased by Guzman is the same stall occupied by Job Rico Silva-Netto as optical clinic and store.
The Gamaphel Building has 14 lease contracts with business permits. Five have no permits and were issued notices of violation for the operators to comply within five days, otherwise a closure order will be issued.
Last year, the PLD closed 2,447 establishments for lack of business permit. They were discovered through regular inspections and complaints received by the office.
While the number of establishments issued with closure order declined this year due to the pandemic, PLD Supervising Administrative Officer Allan Abayao reminded the public to renew their permits for 2021.
The schedule of new business permits application or renewal is January for those with family name, corporate, or company names A to H; February for I to P; and March for Q to Z. – PIO release
