To operationalize Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, the city government here announced on Tuesday that building and occupancy permit applicants can now process their applications online.

Mayor Edgardo Labella said during a press briefing that this is in line with the city government’s thrust to help new business owners as well as the existing ones who were affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.

“As long as they (applicants) complete all the requirements, permits can be released in three days,” Labella said, adding that the city needs “to encourage business as it is a lifeblood and needed for the recovery after many months that they were closed”.

Starting Oct. 1, the submission of building permit applications will already be done online through the Office of the Building Official (OBO) Information System Version 3, said Florante Catalan, head of the department.

Catalan urged developers, engineers and architects to visit the official website of the OBO for guidance on the online submission of building permit applications.

He said this has long been a plan of his office and has finally been realized now that virtual transactions are encouraged to reduce if not eliminate the risk of virus infection as well as avoid human contact which may be prone to corruption.

“The advantage of this online processing is that payment will also now be done online,” he said, adding that applicants will only be allowed to the OBO in Cebu City Hall for signature.

Catalan, however, said those who could not process online or have no knowledge on computers can still process their applications physically at their office.

Labella said the online system is needed to streamline the permit processing and reduce physical contact.

“We are probably the first local government to employ this kind of system,” the mayor noted. (PNA)