By Mariela Angella Oladive
Iloilo City authorities have intensified their crackdown on unlicensed boarding houses, issuing closure orders to 25 additional establishments on February 28. This latest action raises the tally of closed boarding houses to 77 in the city.
Norman Tabud, Head of the Business Permits and Licensing Division (BPLD), disclosed that 16 of the boarding houses recently sanctioned are located in the La Paz district, while the remaining nine are in Jaro.
This follows the city mayor, Jerry Treñas’s prior issuance of 40 closure orders, supplemented by another 12 on February 27.
According to the city government’s latest directive, affected boarding houses have a ten-day window to secure proper permits after receiving closure orders. Authorities have stipulated that these establishments must meet all regulatory standards within this timeframe.
In light of these closures, the city government is assessing potential aid for tenants who may be displaced.
The heightened regulatory enforcement on boarding houses was triggered by a deadly fire on February 18 in the La Paz district, which claimed two lives and resulted in the destruction of five boarding houses, with two others partially damaged.
Tabud, in a statement to the Daily Guardian on Air on February 23, reported that of the five boarding houses ravaged by the fire, only one possessed a legitimate operating permit.
