Batac urges licensing of mobile vendors

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff Reporter

Batac City—As Batac councilor Lucky Rene Bunye delivered a privilege speech amplifying the concerns of local water refilling stations due to the influx of mobile water refilling stations, Batac Vice Mayor Ronald Allan M. Nalupta reiterated that the city government supports “free enterprise”.

In his speech, Bunye said local refilling stations are questioning the entry of water stations from other towns. He stressed that the local businesses’ sales are affected and that they are saying the entry of outsiders is unfair since they are not paying business permit fees and other local taxes.

Bunye also mentioned the issue about sanitation as local refilling stations follow the required process and they do not know if the “outsiders” have strict sanitation processes.

He added that the local refilling stations are willing to hold a dialogue with concerned city officials to settle the problem.

In his reaction, Nalupta explained that all types of legal business are entitled to operate and this could not be prohibited. All the city government can do is to regulate them.

He added that in his opinion, instead of preventing the refilling stations from outside Batac to operate, the city’s licensing division should identify them and ask them to apply for a business permit, specifically a mobile vending permit.

Nalupta pointed out that the city already has an ordinance for mobile vending and for those who do not have a permanent business establishment in the city.

The mobile vending permit is only intended for those engaged in business that move from one place to another to sell their wares. The water refilling stations in question are included here since they only deliver water by the gallons in the city. The said permit is for one year.

Also reacting to this, Batac councilor Averlard Ibarra Crisostomo said he believes business is about competition and free enterprise should be respected.

Crisostomo added that other businesses have also the right to sell to other places citing an example of the bottled water in supermarkets which comes from outside Batac.

He, however clarified that he is not saying that Bunye or the local refilling stations are wrong but is only explaining the concept of free enterprise.

Crisostomo advised all local business owners to be more competitive saying: “Ken nasken kuma a pasayaaten tayo iti businesses tayo tapnun ditoy latta pang-gatangan dagiti constituents tayon”.

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