📷 Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie Gatchalian | ManilaTimes
SOMETIMES, it pays for foreigners to show some respect to the host country where they are raking in huge revenue from their lucrative businesses.
In what appears to be a distorted sense of parochial mindset, the Chinese businessman found himself entangled with more problems he could actually handle as the Valenzuela City government issued a closure order on a warehouse which was initially being investigated for displaying the Chinese flag in its premises.
According to Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie Gatchalian, he ordered the immediate closure of STR Power Equipment Corporation in Barangay Bignay after the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) discovered that the company doesn’t has been operating without a business permit from the local government.
Prior to the closure order, Gatchalian formed a legal team to check on the culpability of STR Power Equipment for the conspicuous display of a red flag similar to the one hoisted at the Chinese Embassy.
“Aside from several violations of the company particularly its lack of mayor’s and business permits, I have ordered an investigation on why a foreign flag has been displayed within its vicinity,” Gatchalian said.
The Mayor added that it was the BLPO team he dispatched to check the veracity of report that there is a Chinese flag on display at the warehouse, who discovered the STR – one of the three companies leasing a portion of the compound – does not have any government permit that would legalize their operation in the city.
“An immediate closure order was issued on STR Power Equipment Corporation through an executive order by the mayor,” said the BPLO in a separate statement.
“This significant discovery during the inspection of BPLO arose from the investigation into the display of a foreign flag in the vicinity,” Gatchalian admitted.
Under Republic Act 8491, otherwise known as the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines, all businesses and residents are not allowed to display foreign flags, except within embassies, diplomatic establishments and offices of international organizations as mandated by the law.
As if the closure order isn’t enough, the city government also discovered the presence of Chinese employees working at two other business corporations inside the secluded compound along Mahabang Parang road.
The BPLO however clarified that they have yet to verify whether these Chinese employees have working visas. (ANGEL F. JOSE)
