City Health Warns Business Owners Vs. Fake Sanitary Permits

Cebu City Health officer Daisy Villa has uncovered that there are several business establishments in the city that are using fake sanitary permits believed to be the handiwork of a syndicate composed of former City Health personnel and some other unscrupulous individuals.

Villa has alerted the owners of business establishments in the city to refrain from transacting business with persons who are not connected with the City Health Department to avoid of being victimized by the syndicate.

Sanitary Permit together with the list of employees duly certified by the City Health Officer are among the several requirements for the issuance of a business permit that is why some businessmen might have decided to hire the services of fixers to help them secure the documents without knowing that the papers handed to them are fake.

Villa said the sanitary inspectors had found out that the sanitary permits of several business establishments are fake because the permit indicates that the document was allegedly issued by then City Health Officer Fe Cabugao who is no longer connected with the City Health Department.

“Nasakpan sa mga sanitary health inspectors nga fake ang permit kay dugay na tawon kaayo nga wala na sa City Health si Dr. Cabugao apan ang permit gibutang nga giisyu sa petsa nga ako na ang city health officer,” Dr. Villa said.

Villa did not disclosed how many fake sanitary permits that they have discovered, but she said “Daghan kaayo apil pa ang nasakpan sa miagi’ng tuig.” The fake permits were confiscated and the establishment owners were instructed to secure new permits.

Individual health certificates for employees of non-food establishments only cost at P10 each, but the applicant shall be required to submit results of chest X-Ray laboratory examination and (2 x 2) ID picture.

For those working in food establishments, the cost is a little higher.

The amount of sanitary permit fees of business establishments will depend on the number of their personnel, while the issuance of the permits of food establishments will also depend on the results of laboratory examination of their employees.

“Kun may makita mi’ng timailhan nga may sakit ang concerned worker sa food establishment amo g’yud na nga i-require og dugang laboratory examination kay kinahanglan nga protehean namo ang public,” the city health officer said, reacting to some complaints that the release of sanitary permits is sometimes delayed.

It is expected that hundreds of taxpayers will be trooping to the “One Stop Shop” at SM City Mall in North Reclamation Area today (January 23) to catch up the deadline for the payment of business taxes without surcharges.

Although the tax collectors will still stay at SM until January 30 to receive the business taxes, but the city will impose them 25 percent surcharge. If the payment will be made much later, another two percent interest will be added.

Since January 3 until last Tuesday, the city had already collected P433 million only from business taxes.