People who want to earn a living guiding visitors around Bislig City can now get their first occupation permit at half the usual fee, provided they finish the city's tour guiding training seminar first.

City Ordinance No. 2026-27 grants a 50% discount on the occupation permit fee to qualified participants of the tour guiding training seminar on their first availment of the permit. The Sangguniang Panlungsod enacted it during its 59th regular session on September 1, 2026, and Mayor Florencio C. Garay approved it on September 15, 2026. It was authored by Vice Mayor Conrad C. Cejoco and Councilor Paul E. Vicencio.

The measure is formally titled the "One-Time Occupation Permit Discount Incentive for the Tour Guiding Participants of the City of Bislig."

Why the city is doing this

The ordinance says the city recognizes tourism as an important part of local economic development and acknowledges the role of trained tour guides in promoting Bislig's natural attractions, cultural heritage, historical sites and local products. It states that making it easier for trained guides to enter the industry will help promote Bislig as a destination and create economic opportunities for residents.

Who qualifies

To get the discount, an applicant must meet all of the following:

  • Be a resident of Bislig City, or someone intending to do lawful tour guiding work within the city
  • Be a bona fide participant and successful completer of a tour guiding training seminar run by the City Government of Bislig
  • Be applying for an occupation permit for tour guiding in the city for the first time
  • Comply with all other documentary and regulatory requirements under existing laws and ordinances

What to submit

Applicants should prepare:

  • A completed occupation permit application
  • A Certificate of Completion from the tour guide training seminar
  • A valid government-issued ID
  • Proof of residency, when applicable
  • A certification from the appropriate city office that the applicant is a first-time applicant for a tour guiding occupation permit

Which offices handle it

The City Tourism Office verifies that the applicant completed the training and certifies that they qualify. The Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) issues the permit and checks that the applicant is applying for the first time. The City Treasurer's Office then applies the 50% discount.

The limits

The discount is available only once per person and cannot be transferred. It applies only to the occupation permit fee, not to any other fees, charges or taxes. The ordinance also makes clear that the discount does not waive any qualification, safety standard or other requirement for tour guiding. The ordinance does not state the amount of the occupation permit fee itself.

When it applies

The ordinance takes effect after the posting and publication required by law. Within 30 days of its effectivity, the City Tourism Office, working with the BPLO and the City Treasurer's Office, is required to draw up implementing guidelines for a simple verification process. Prospective guides who want to know when the next training seminar runs should ask the City Tourism Office directly.

Part of a wider tourism push

The same September 1 session also passed Ordinance No. 2026-28, which requires hotels, resorts and other primary tourism enterprises to submit monthly tourist arrival reports to the City Tourism Office. Together, the two measures show the council working on both sides of the industry: better data on how many visitors arrive, and more trained locals to guide them to places like Tinuy-an Falls, Hagonoy Island and the forests of the old PICOP concession.

The full text of Ordinance No. 2026-27 is available on the city government's Ordinances 2026 page at bislig.gov.ph.