Anti-red tape office says 98.95% of cases resolved

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has achieved a 98.95-percent resolution rate in 24,932 out of 25,197 complaints filed as of January, the agency's Director General Ernesto Perez disclosed in a forum hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines on Wednesday.

The high marks, Perez said, reflect ARTA's commitment to improving the ease of doing business in the country by acting quickly on reported violations in the bureaucracy.

ARTA previously reported receiving 1,822 complaints in 2019; 3,283 in 2020; 3,813 in 2021; 4,144 in 2022; and 4,773 in 2023.

"Through strong collaboration, we have proven that public-private partnerships can vastly improve public service delivery by encouraging innovation and cooperation with private sector partners," Perez said. Citing corruption and red tape as major barriers to economic development, Perez called on the public to actively support ARTA's initiatives. "To have that business-ready environment in the Philippines, we not only need moral transformation but [also] digital transformation," he said, underscoring the government's commitment to transparency and efficiency, assuring stakeholders of the agency's initiative in addressing bureaucratic challenges.

As part of its initiative to cut red tape, ARTA said 113 local government units are now fully compliant with its electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS) system.

Perez said the LGUs that have adopted the online system recorded a substantial increase in business registrations as well as revenue collection. For this year, ARTA is aiming for an additional 200 LGUs to comply with the system. "If we want to effectively fight red tape and corruption in the process, the key is we streamline and digitalize processes," Perez said.

He cited Executive Order 32, which streamlines the permit process for telecommunications infrastructure. Prior to the EO, Perez said it took up to 300 days to start operating a telecommunications tower. Now it has been shortened to 59 days.

Perez added that ARTA is working closely with regulatory agencies to remove unnecessary barriers across key sectors, including telecommunications, energy, logistics, housing, health care and infrastructure.