President Duterte is expected to approve the bill streamlining doing business in the country this month, according to Trade Undersecretary Rowel S. Barba.
Barba said the bill pending the President’s signature for two months now is being reviewed by the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES). The OES, he added, is “asking for comments from different government agencies” regarding the provisions of the measure.
Nonetheless, Barba said the proposed Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 is anticipated to be inked by Duterte this month. “Hopefully, it will be signed within the month [of May],” he said in a news briefing on Monday.
The measure aims to streamline issuances of licenses, clearances and permits to business entities and is banked on to improve the country’s ease of doing business (EODB) ranking. Manila slipped to 113th among 190 economies from 99th in the World Bank report, titled “Doing Business 2018.”
The Philippines scored 68.88 in starting a business and placed 173rd. In giving out construction permits, the country ranked 101st with a score of 66.84.
Although it performed well in getting electricity at 84.31 (31st), it was 114th in registering property with a score of 57.55. It was also scraping the lower bottom in terms of getting credit (142nd) and protecting minority investors (146th).
Moreover, the country placed 59th, 99th and 105th in resolving insolvency, trading across borders and paying taxes, respectively.
However, it was 149th in enforcing contracts with a score of 45.96.
Aside from the EODB bill, the government is also putting pressure on local government
units (LGUs) to do their part on fast-tracking the issuance of business permits.
Interior Undersecretary Austere A. Panadero said at least 80 percent of LGUs “are already able to process and release its permits in one or two days.”
“It is not only in Quezon City or in the National Capital Region that reforms have been undertaken, but around 80 percent to 82 percent of our LGUs are already able to process and release its permits in one to two days. This is a report submitted by the LGUs and significantly validated by our partners from the PCCI [Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry],” Panadero added.
The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) welcomed the news that the EODB bill might be enacted into law this month.
AmCham Senior Advisor John D. Forbes said he hopes the measure will bolster the country’s chances at improving its EODB ranking.
“We welcome the new law and appreciate the hard work one by the trade committees in Congress. We also hope the new law and its implementation will improve the ranking of the Philippines in the World Bank Doing Business report, which fell 14 places in 2017,” Forbes told the BusinessMirror.