Boarding house owners told to comply with regulations
Back to school preparations of the Iloilo City Government has now included a thorough check on various boarding houses here.
Of primary concern said Boarding House Commission (BHC) chairman Edward Yee is full compliance of city government-prescribed licenses and permits alongside actual check of boarding house facilities.
BHC is tasked to oversee operations of numerous boarding houses throughout Iloilo City.
Basic licenses, Yee reminded are Mayor’s Permit, Sanitary Permit and Fire Safety Inspection Permit. As mandated further by Ordinance 00-01, specific provisions must also be met with established duties of owners and operators.
“We are here to help both our boarding house owners and the boarders themselves. It is the city’s role and my priority as Boarding House Commission chair to ensure that protections are in place in as far as smooth and legitimate operations of the boarding houses are concerned. We know there are rules that govern each boarding house and so we want to make sure that these are within the bounds of justness and fairness. We also want our student-boarders to feel secured since these boarding houses are their second homes already. In short, we are here to help,” Yee said.
Relatedly, Ordinance 00-01 stipulates classification of boarding houses likewise set to be implemented by the Commission.
Altogether, there are four “classes” – Class A to D – which categorize each boarding house according to extent of accommodation and amenities.
“We are a highly-urbanized city and we take pride in that. We also take extra pride on the fact that being an administrative center of Western Visayas, Iloilo City has indeed become the second home of thousands of students and young professionals. We are an industry in itself – the boarding house industry,” Yee added.
Yee in his current stint as Commission chair works on the priorities designed by Mayor Jerry P. Treñas. Particular attention has been called by Mayor Treñas on the safety of the student-boarders, sense of security of the families and the owners of the boarding houses themselves.