Cebu City OBO chief to permit applicants: Transact and pay online

Cebu City Office of the Building Official (OBO) head Architect Florante Catalan| CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines –Cebuanos no longer have to physically visit the Office of the Building Official (OBO) at the Cebu City to apply for permits and make the corresponding payments.

Architect Florante Catalan, the OBO head, said all of the 18 services that are being offered by their office can now be availed by filing an online request.

These include applications for a building permit, occupancy permit, electrical permit, temporary sign permit, billboard/signboard permit, demolition permit, and annual inspection certificate, among others.

Making online trasanctions, he said, will already make permit applications easier, especially for architects and engineers, with pending projects since they no longer have to hire “follow-uppers” or people who will keep on visiting OBO to check on the status of their permit applications.

“Dili na kinahanglan pa sila nga muadto sa office. Pwede na sila mo-apply online, and then we will process that one in less than an hour. Mao na among commitment with the clients nga less than an hour ang atoang processing and issuance of permits,” Catalan said.

OBO first launched its online processing for building permit applications last year.  This year, the office is expanding its online services to already include the other permit applications and the other office services.

Catalan said that the shift was made as part of their office’s “business-friendly” innovation and in order to curb corruption.

By catering to online processing, they are able to implement the “No contact policy” between the permit applicants and their office employees.

A screenshot of the OBO portal for online application of permits.| Wenilyn B. Sabalo

Catalan said permit applicants may access https://mics.cebucity.gov.ph/obo/.

“Didto lang sila mo sulod sa mga naay step by step [instructions] didto. Naa pod tay orientation every MWF (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) sa office on how to apply online. So, they can always visit the Office of the Building Official on how to apply online also,” he said.

Catalan said they partnered with the Landbank of the Philippines for the implementation of their online transactions program.

But he clarified that they will continue to cater to walk-in applicants for now and pending the passage of an ordinance that would support the full implementation of online transactions at OBO.

Their office, Catalan said, caters to an average of 900 clients per week.

Of the number, about 15 percent have already started to transact online, Catalan added.

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