MANILA -- Hopes are high that the expected passage of The Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 will help improve the country's ranking in the World Bank and International Finance Corporation's (IFC) 2019 Doing Business Report.
Trade and Industry Undersecretary Rowel Barba told reporters that the agency hopes that President Duterte will soon sign the legislation into law so it can be counted among the reforms implemented this year. The latest World Bank-IFC report covers the June 2017 to May 2018 period.
During the first quarter of the year, Congress passed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Bill that amended Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.
“It is still pending in Malacañang, and I think the Office of the Executive Secretary is asking for comments from other government agencies,” Barba said.
Barba mentioned that the Palace is seeking comments on a two-strike policy, that requires government offices to deliberate upon and issue permits in three, seven, or 20 days depending on the circumstance, upon complete submission of requirements or face penalties.
The legislation also provides sanctions to civil servants who will not be able to comply with the “3-7-20 rule”. First offense would be a six-month suspension and the second offense would be termination from service.
“Some people are worried that we might run out of government employees,” the DTI official said in Filipino.
Last week, DTI officials met with representatives from the world Bank and IFC, who were conducting a validation mission on the Philippine government’s reforms to ease doing business in the country.
The Philippines' current ranking in the global report is 113th place after it slipped from 99th place.
The World bank-IFC report measures the ease of doing business in a given country through 11 indicators including Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Getting Electricity, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Minority Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading across Borders, Enforcing Contracts, Resolving Insolvency, and Labor Market Regulation. (PNA)
