Inside the Office of the Building Official | Photo courtesy of Cebu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A councilor in Cebu City wants to improve the process of acquiring construction permits in the city.
Councilor Rey Gealon penned a proposed ordinance entitled, ‘One-stop shop for construction permits (OSCP)’ and presented it to the council during its regular session on Wednesday, October 25, 2023.
Gealon said in his proposal that the commitment of Cebu City in promoting efficient and expeditious procedures for the issuance of permits and certificates, extends to all individuals and entities engaged in construction, alteration, conversion, erection, installation, repair, and occupancy in the city.
He said that his proposed ordinance “aims to facilitate a seamless and responsive administrative process to foster growth, development, and compliance while ensuring the general welfare of its constituents.”
According to Gealon, the OSCP is a mechanism of coordination among the Office of the Building Official (OBO), City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), City Assessor’s Office (CAO), City Treasurer’s Office (CTO), Management Information and Computer Services (MICS), other concerned departments or offices of Cebu City, and the Office of the City Fire Marshal.
The OSCP will be located where the OBO operates.
One-stop shop functions
Moreover, in his proposal, Gealon said that the OSCP will have the following functions:
- Receive applications and documents for building permits and certificates of occupancy, whether through online or physical submission;
- Coordinate and facilitate the conduct of technical review by the concerned departments of the city (e.g., OBO, CPDO, Barangay Officials) and the City BFP;
- Facilitate the retrieval of documentary requirements for building permits and certificates of occupancy that will be part of the OSCP backroom operations, such as the tax declaration and the current receipt of real property tax payments, in coordination with concerned departments;
- Implement a one-time assessment of fees and charges related to applications for building permits and certificates of occupancy in coordination with the BFP, CPDO, CAO, CTO, and OBO;
- Coordinate the conduct of joint inspection by the OBO, CPDO, CAO, and the BFP;
- Receive payment of all related fees and charges, either through online or physical payments, in coordination with the BFP, OBO, CAO, CTO, CPDO, and MICS;
- Release building permits or certificates of occupancy, either through online or physical release.
Classifications
The OSCP also has three classification of applications: simple, complex, and highly technical.
Some features under the simple application are the construction, erection, addition, alteration, renovation, repair, or legalization of:
– private garage not more than 90 square meters
– carport
– sheds not less than six square meters
– agricultural buildings
– fences over 1.80 meters in height
– tanks and towers
Meanwhile, among the features under the complex application are the construction, erection, addition, alteration, renovation, repair, or legalization of:
– interior renovations covered by an appropriate building permit
– conversion of existing building occupancy classification
– single-detached residential house not more than seven storeys
– market and commercial buildings and warehouses not more than nine storeys
– billboard structures
– all other types of occupancy not more than nine storeys
Moreover, the OSCP can be accessed via electronic for online applications, and physically where the applicants can visit the office themselves to submit their applications.
The proposed ordinance was approved by the council for first reading and was referred to the Committee on Laws, Ordinances, and Styling, and to the Committee on Budget and Finance.
/bmjo
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