Filipinos have long suffered from the scourge of corruption and red tape in the bureaucracy. Millions of small businesses and struggling entrepreneurs, for example, have to spend so much time, effort and money just to secure permits and licenses from local government units. In 2018, President Duterte signed Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business Law, in a bid to cure the defects of the previous law, the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. At the same time that the law was signed, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) was also created under the Office of the President.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Arta Director General Jeremiah Belgica said the President has always wanted to make it easier for Filipinos to deal with government, adding that the first beneficiary of the government’s efforts to cut red tape would be the ordinary guy who wants to put up a business for his family. He said red tape turns off foreign investors from setting up shop in the Philippines, thus preventing the creation of jobs for Filipinos. “Cutting red tape will create more jobs, boost income, generate more investments and hasten not only government service but also business turnarounds because people would be investing more. Locals would open more businesses, so economic growth would be much quicker,” he said (See, How do you solve a problem like red tape?, in the BusinessMirror, October 10, 2019).
The best way to eliminate red tape is to automate government services. According to the law, every agency and local government unit should have undergone full automation by 2021.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund F. Villafuerte Jr. said Congress could help fast track the national government’s digitalization tack by approving the e-governance law, which will facilitate contactless transactions and ensure the uninterrupted delivery of basic services. He said the President endorsed his proposed e-governance law during the Chief Executive’s last State of the Nation Address (See, e-Governance law’s passage seen hastening digitalization, in the BusinessMirror, October 4, 2021).
E-governance (short for electronic governance) is the use of technology to perform government activities and achieve the objectives of governance. Through e-governance, government services are made available to citizens and businesses in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner.
The basic purpose of e-governance is to simplify processes for all–government agencies, citizens, businesses, etc. at the national and local levels. It involves the integration of information and communication technology in government processes and functions so as to cause simple, efficient, accountable and transparent governance.
Through e-governance, Villafuerte wants to establish a contactless, electronic-based system of services in all government offices and state-run corporations to do away with paper-based official transactions and physical queuing in government offices, especially during the time of the pandemic. He said the Philippines needs to speed up its digital shift, given the predominance of online transactions and electronic payments, as well as the use of the Internet to access information. He said the use of technology-driven tools will provide the country with new opportunities for growth “and make our economy more inclusive, especially for millions of Filipinos in the countryside.”
The House of Representatives last year approved the e-governance bill, which mandates the establishment of an integrated, interconnected, and interoperable information and resource-sharing and communications network spanning the entirety of the national and local governments. The bill remains pending in the Senate.
Fighting corruption and red tape in the bureaucracy is definitely a gargantuan task, given the sheer number of government departments, bureaus, and agencies. Add to that the 42,046 barangays throughout the country that have the power to issue barangay permits, apart from the 1,634 municipalities and cities that also issue business and other permits.
The 18th Congress can help speed up, simplify and enhance service delivery in government by passing a well-studied e-governance measure.Once signed into law, it will instantly improve the country’s business climate.This will help regain public trust, improve citizen engagement, and encourage more entrepreneurs to start their business. It might even entice more foreign investors to come and invest in the Philippines. Let’s attract more investors so we can create more jobs. Productive citizens help sustain the country’s economic growth.