BATANGAS CITY (PIA) — The city government of Batangas continues to enhance the implementation of its electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBoss) in support of the government's ease of doing business and digitalization agenda.
In an interview with the Philippine Information Agency’s Sulong Calabarzon video program, Batangas City assistant legal officer, Atty. Erwin L. Aguilera said the city government is aiming to expand its online services by installing digital eBoss kiosks in different parts of the city.
Aguilera added that the eBoss kiosks could be accessed anytime, even after business hours, allowing more business owners and taxpayers to process permit applications and renewals.
Batangas City is the only local government unit in Calabarzon that is fully compliant with the Anti-Red Tape Authority's (ARTA) requirements for the eBoss implementation.
In 2023, Batangas City earned commendation from ARTA for setting up a fully functional eBoss.
Ditas Aguado-Rivera, Batangas City’s assistant head of the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) also thanked ARTA and other national government agencies for their assistance in accelerating the eBoss in their locality.
“It’s not easy to pass ARTA; we went through difficult challenges, but we are happy because they are very supportive. They assisted us to ensure that we are effectively complying, and the good thing about national agencies is that if they want to implement these programs in LGUs, they will guide and support them to comply," Rivera said.
Rivera added that the streamlined process helped the city government achieve higher tax collection and revenues.
She said they are willing to assist other LGUs in setting up their eBoss.
Meanwhile, Aguilera said that the eBoss not only provides a streamlined process for licensing and permits procedures but also helps in eliminating corruption.
“The primary purpose of eBOSS is to streamline the process, especially considering that in other towns, many individuals need to go through various people and agencies before obtaining a business permit. The objective of eBOSS is to simplify the process, minimizing the number of interactions to avoid corruption,” Aguilera said.
He added that the eBoss has enabled clients to access necessary services and information about business registration, submission of documents, online payment, and electronic issuance of pertinent documents without physically appearing in a government office.
According to Aguilera, while the city government adopted fully automated transactions, it still implements physical one-stop shops for taxpayers who still prefer the traditional procedures.
ARTA is the main implementing agency of Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, which ensures that prompt actions or resolution of transactions in all government instrumentalities are done with efficiency and transparency. (CO/PIA-4A)
Sulong Calabarzon is a weekly public affairs program hosted by the Philippine Information Agency Calabarzon, streaming live every Thursday, 2:00 PM via the Philippine Information Agency Calabarzon Facebook page.
