The Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) flagged concerns on the methodology used by the World Bank (WB) in conducting its Doing Business (DB) survey, reiterating its call for a review.
Arta Director General Jeremiah Belgica said on Thursday there were “inconsistencies with the results of the customer satisfaction survey by agencies against the assessment of the DB respondents.”
“It may have emanated from the fact that the persons who responded to the WB Survey are not the same persons transacting with the agencies/LGU [local government unit],” he explained.
“It may be that the respondents to the survey of WB are officials of the Law/Accounting firms, while persons transacting with the agencies/LGUs are the liaison officers or processors or clerks or sometimes messengers of the law/accounting firms,” Belgica pointed out.
The Arta director general highlighted the importance of having “clear distinction between the preparation time of the applicant and the processing time of the agencies” as well.
Earlier, Belgica expressed worries that Arta’s efforts in certain areas—Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Registering Property, and Enforcing Contract—would not be fully recognized. The agency said that it has elevated its concerns to the WB since last year.
Belgica said the agency was able to move forward with its goal of streamlining and reengineering of government processes and enforcing zero-contact policy despite the pandemic.
These were done, he said, through accessible online government transactions and mandatory setting up of electronic business one-stop shops (e-BOSS) in local governments, among others.
Last month, Arta signed a joint memorandum circular with several agencies, including the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), ordering LGUs to launch their own eBoss by June 17.
The eBoss should be able to facilitate online submission of business permit applications; digital payment options; and issuance of electronic versions of permits, licenses or clearances.
According to government data as of April 14, however, only 39 percent or 593 LGUs out of the total 1,516 have automated their business permit and licensing system.
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez stressed the accelerated shift to digitalization amid lockdown protocols were imposed as part of government’s bid to curb rising Covid-19 cases.
“The community lockdowns, limited movement and accessibility, added financial pressures, and drastic changes in work arrangements—these all resulted in major transformations in the business landscape,” Lopez said. “To adapt to the pandemic’s unprecedented crisis, we had to broaden our scope in digitalization and utilize the opportunities from the rising digital economy.”
The Philippines scored 62.8 last year in the DB survey, which positioned the country at the 95th spot. This is an improvement when the country garnered in 57.68 in 2019 and sat at 124th rank out of 190 countries.
In the Southeast Asian region, the Philippines is at seventh rank, lagging behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam and Indonesia. But it is ahead of Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar.
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