'Old buildings have to go
through yearly inspection'
BY JUANCHO GALLARDE

Though they may seem to be old and sometimes "dilapidated" to the public eye, many buildings in Dumaguete City are still allowed to operate as they have met the national safety standards being enforced by the Bureau of Fire Protection, Mayor Agustin Perdice said.

He said that before his office issues a business permit, the city fire department has to inspect and certify that a building or any business establishment has met the required standards.

Perdices was reacting to public concern over the existence of old buildings, some perceived to even be of pre-war vintage, that are still running businesses such as grocery stores or boarding houses. If the fire station says that a building poses a fire hazard, then City Hall will deny the business owner a permit to operate, the mayor said.

BIR prefers
voluntary payments
BY JAUNCHO GALLARDE

Arturo Acabal, Bureau of Internal Revenue District 79 officer-in-charge, said income tax payments represent 50 to 60 percent of its total collection, and the BIR will investigate income tax returns, although it prefers to encourage voluntary payment.

Acabal enjoined income tax filers to declare the right amount of taxes due the government, adding that the BIR is conducting tax mapping operations and dialogs in the province.

Filing centers were set up in busy areas fronting Lee Plaza and Ever Mall in Dumaguete City up to 5 p.m. daily, and open on two Saturdays, March 31 and April 14.

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