MANILA – The Ease of Doing Business and Anti-Red Tape Advisory Council, the policy and advisory body of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), is working to improve the country’s competitiveness rankings in time for the submission of its 2021 Doing Business report to the World Bank.
In a statement, the council, led by its chairperson Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez and vice-chairperson ARTA Director General Jeremiah Belgica, said they came up with this decision after convening via teleconferencing to discuss initiatives during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
The ARTA body discussed reforms and initiatives towards improving the country’s competitiveness ranking to be submitted to the World Bank for its 2021 Doing Business report.
Doing Business, according to the World Bank, measures regulations across 190 economies in 12 business regulatory areas to assess the business environment in each economy
Belgica said the result of the annual report is still expected to be published later in the year.
“With the upcoming survey, we are fast-tracking and doubling our efforts toward ensuring that all our reform initiatives will reflect and count in our competitiveness profile, especially during this time when our country is dealing with the economic impact of this ongoing Covid-19 crisis”, he said.
The Philippines jumped 29 notches in the World Bank’s 2020 Doing Business Report ranking 95th from its previous 124th rank
The report, which covers data from 2018 to 2019, found that the Philippines improved in three areas namely starting a business; dealing with construction permits; and protecting minority investors.
To fast-track their efforts, the council is pushing for the digitization of government functions as the country transitions into the “new normal”.
The council urged government agencies to maximize the use of technology in the efficient and timely delivery of government services online to minimize the risk of further spreading diseases.
Earlier, the ARTA also issued advisories which calls on government agencies to fully adopt an online application system as an efficient alternative to on-site application procedures, issue online permits, and use e-signatures in the processing of government transactions.
The ARTA team also presented to the council its strategy for a Rapid Regulatory Impact Assessment (RRIA) which will be an expedited form of regulatory assessment that will ensure proper policy formulation that do not add undue regulatory burden to the transacting public especially during this pandemic.
The council will endorse to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) the creation of a support group that will oversee the implementation of RRIA.
This is the fourth meeting of the council upon its formation following Belgica’s appointment in July 2019.
The council is mandated by the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 or Republic Act11032 to formulate policies and programs that will continuously improve the country’s competitiveness and ease of doing business. (PNA)
