Bacolod City biz registration for 1H 2019 surpasses 2018 record

THE first half of 2019 is not even finished, but business registration in Bacolod City from January to June has surpassed the number for 2018.

Records from Business Permits and Licensing Division showed that business registrations from January 1 to June 21 totaled 23,226, beating the 2018 registration in 2018.

“This is record-breaking,” Mayor Evelio Leonardia said when he presented the figures before the officers and members of the Rotary Club of Bacolod over the weekend.

Leonardia was the guest of honor and speaker during the club’s 82nd Charter Anniversary and 80th Induction Ceremony at O Hotel on June 22, 2019.

As part of his inspirational message, he presented the latest updates on the Bacolod Development Plans and Projects.

“2019 is another record year for Bacolod City business registrations. This is very encouraging and we will pursue this to the hilt,” the mayor said.

The 2018 figure of 23,187 was then the highest ever in Bacolod business registration. It was also 4,370 higher (23 percent increase) against 18,817 registrations in 2015.

“As we continue to innovate and find ways and means to improve the ease of doing business, we will not only please and retain existing ones but even attract new investments. This is the core of our intensified campaign to establish Bacolod as one of the ‘most business-friendly cities in the country,’” Leonardia emphasized.

In its campaign to foster a friendlier business climate in Bacolod, the Leonardia administration initiated the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) every January to February to encourage more investors to register their businesses.

In the 2016 campaign, Leonardia had promised to restore business confidence and improve the business climate in the city.

As validation of this business-friendly mode in Bacolod, the city government has received various national awards from prestigious organizations in 2017 and 2018 under Leonardia’s term.

For his 2019 campaign,  Leonardia promised to sustain the economic growth in Bacolod by, among others, sustaining the strong business confidence and positive business climate in the city. (PIO)