QUEZON CITY — To further amplify the accomplishments and action items of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), together with key government agencies gathered at the Hilton Hotel on 23 July 2024, for the first session of the 2024 Post-SONA Discussions, focusing on the critical issues of food security and economic development.
Now in its second year, the Post-SONA Discussions, organized by the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) and the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), served as a platform for government officials to review the implementation of key policies and translate the priorities outlined in President Marcos Jr.’s third SONA.
In attendance were Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA) Frederick D. Go; ARTA Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Deputy Director General (DDG) for Legal Geneses R. Abot; National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan; Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III; Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Fransisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.; Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph G. Recto; Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Alfredo E. Pascual; Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Maria Christina Garcia Frasco; Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman; National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Administrator Eduardo Eddie G. Guillen; Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Odilon L. Pasaraba; and Philippine Space Agency (PHILSA) Director General Dr. Joel Joseph S. Marciano, Jr.
In the discussion, each agency was asked to expound direct quotes from President Marcos Jr.’s SONA, which covered their respective agency’s mandate.
For ARTA, OIC Abot was requested to provide insights on the SONA excerpt, “Conscious efforts to improve the ease of doing business and of delivering government services, through digitalization, integration, and streamlining of processes, have produced their multiplier effects. Cost savings from operations have translated to higher revenues and more speedy transactions.”
In response, ARTA OIC Abot underscored the agency’s commitment to streamlining the bureaucracy and creating a business-friendly environment through the agency’s efforts to fully implement the electronic Business One-Stop Shops (eBOSS) on all local government units (LGUs) in coordination with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), DILG, and DTI.
In addition to the higher number of LGUs with a fully automated eBOSS, it was reported that the eBOSS-compliant LGUs have documented notable increases in their revenues and tax collections resulting in a higher budget for their local programs and services.
The OIC Abot cited that an overseas Filipino worker residing in Qatar have commended the government’s digitalization initiative after processing a business permit remotely with the local government unit (LGU) of Guinsiliban Municipality in Camiguin through its fully automated eBOSS.
“Our mandate is clear: to transform the way government services are delivered. We aim to achieve this through a ‘whole-of-nation approach,’ fostering innovation and good regulatory practices. In simpler terms, we are here to cut the red tape and roll out the red carpet for all,” OIC Abot said.
Furthermore, the ARTA OIC also elaborated, in response to the questions from the media partners present in the discussion, the agency’s other streamlining and digitalization initiatives, including the Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS) which stores all proposed and existing regulations made available in public, along with the Anti-Red Tape Electronic Management Information System (ARTEMIS) which, on the other hand, serves as a database for all covered government offices’ Citizen Charters to provide a single platform for all government services, processes, and fees.
The discussion was sealed with a renewed focus on implementing the President’s directives as expounded by the key government agencies in the forum. ARTA’s progress in digitalizing government services was highlighted as a crucial step towards improving the ease of doing business, together with a whole-of-nation collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders.
The key government officials in attendance expressed optimism that these collective efforts will significantly contribute to economic growth and development and the realization of a “Bagong Pilipinas.”
“The road ahead may not be easy, but with our strong spirit of collaboration, we will turn President Marcos Jr.’s directives into tangible results. Let us all be catalysts for change and be part of the solution. Let us prove to the world that in the Philippines there is Ease of Doing Business,” OIC Abot said in his closing statement. (ARTA)
