SENATOR SONNY Angara on Tuesday said the anti-red tape performance of government agencies will now be part of the review for their 2020 appropriations.
Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said the forthcoming budget hearings would look into the capacity of government agencies to implement their mandates to improve the ease of doing business in the country and provide more efficient service delivery.
“Anti-red tape performance will now be part of the budget review. These will also be part of the key performance indicators that an agency promises to meet in exchange for the appropriations it will get,” Angara said.
Angara noted that frontline agencies would particularly be required to present a “before and after” timetable of the processing of a document from request to release to determine the improvement in the completion of government transactions.
“Kung, say, two days today, next year ba kayang one day na lang? Yung ganung pag-measure ng improvement ang kailangan natin (Let’s say, [they could complete transactions within] two days today. Could it be possible for it to be shortened to just one day next year? That kind of improvement indicator is what we need),” he said.
“Para sa susunod na taon, pwede natin malaman kung natupad ba nila ang kanilang promissory note (So that for next year, we could determine if they were able to follow through with their promissory note),” Angara said.
Angara also noted that in addressing the perennial problem of bureaucratic red tape, agencies must not only be required to shorten the processing time but also cut down the number of documentary requirements.
“When you reduce the number of documents, the speed by which an application moves increases. Hindi lang bawas oras, bawas gastos na rin ([The goal is] not just cut down the delays, but also reduce the costs),” Angara said.
Angara cited the World Bank’s 2019 ease of doing business report showing that the Philippines’ rank slipped 11 notches from 113 in 2018 to 124 in 2019.
The Department of Finance and the Department of Trade and Industry, however, disputed the report, saying the government “has been hard at work in implementing initiatives to increase the country’s competitiveness.”
Under the law, the government agencies are required to process simple transactions within three days and complete transactions in seven days and highly technical transactions in 20 days.
The law will also limit to a maximum of three the number of signatories for applications for licenses, clearances, permits, certifications, and authorizations.
Electronic signatures will also be recognized and a zero-contact policy will be implemented to avoid improprieties.(By Filane Mikee Cervantes)
20
