DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 4 January)—Davao City is going high-tech in the processing of its business and building permits, adding a geographical information system (GIS) kiosk “by early this year” to hasten the process.
A GIS kiosk aims to help clients in the City Planning and Development Office’s (CPDO) evaluations, approvals, and issuance of business and building permits through the kiosk’s digitalized mapping system, which could determine if their businesses were compliant with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) 2019-2028.
The GIS kiosk will also help to hasten processing of filling up the business location capture form, a requirement for renewal and application of business permits since 2020.
“It will use coordinates to determine if their area of business is non-compliant with our CLUP,” Arnel Llido, Project Evaluation Officer III of CPDO, told MindaNews in an interview Thursday.
Llido said that the GIS kiosk will be placed near the Business Permit Licensing System (BPLS) kiosk, which is under the Business Bureau’s mandate. Both kiosks will be situated in the Business Bureau office inside the Sangguniang Panlungsod building.
According to a report from the Committee on Finance, Ways and Means, and Appropriations, it was raised during the deliberation of the 2024 city budget that the CPDO cannot yet put up a separate kiosk for building permits due to the “unavailability of its mapping system to be accessed outside of its office.”
“[T]he CPDO was reminded to provide prime attention to this concern to truly carry out the mandate of efficient delivery of government services and the ease of doing business,” the report read.
However, Llido said they are in continuous talks with the Business Bureau “since last year” to make amends in where they will properly place and install necessary equipment, connectivity, data storage, and similar needs, while considering the space and convenience of the clients.
“The kiosk is not installed yet but our mapping system is ready. We’re just waiting where it will be situated,” Llido said.
Currently, building permit clients would go to the Business Bureau for fees and other permits, then would go to the CPDO office for evaluation and their compliance with the CLUP and application for business location capture form.
Meanwhile, application of business permits can also be done online and through walk-ins in the Business Bureau office.
Maribel Paguican, Business Bureau head, said that during this time of business renewals, 10 satellite offices were also operational among different locations, including Gaisano Grand Citigate for Buhangin District residents; Davao City Recreation Center, commonly known as Almendras Gym for Agdao and Talomo District residents; Toril District Office for Toril residents; Calinan Gym for Calinan District residents; Baguio District Treasury Office for Marilog; and other locations in Paquibato and Bunawan.
The online application for building permit through ocboapp.davaocity.gov.ph/ocboapp is currently unavailable. However, zoning maps and watershed maps are available through CPDO’s website. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
