By Victoria “NIKE” De Dios
With the ease of doing business in place, the government eyes on expanding its reform initiatives to sustain the growth of businesses and bolster economic activity, as it also collaborates with the private sector to strengthen exports.
Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Deputy Director General for Operations Ernesto Perez said the Philippine Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Reporting System will be used to measure the quality of regulatory practices that impact the business climate and ease of doing business in the country.
Perez said the reporting system also assesses the compliance of national government agencies, local government units, and other government instrumentalities performing business-related transactions with the provisions of Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
“This project is the Authority’s next step as we continue to monitor the agencies’ significant efforts to improve the now-defunct World Bank Doing Business Report,” he said during the 30th anniversary of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (PHILEXPORT).
Perez said the EODB Act, a landmark piece of legislation, promotes competitiveness and improves the country’s overall business environment.
“..We need all hand(s) on deck to consistently push for reforms to improve the ease of doing business in the country and accelerate us towards digital transformation,” he said.
Perez also cited the crucial role the business sector plays in promoting government service openness and accountability, which has “firsthand knowledge of the consequences of red tape.”
He said improving bureaucratic efficiency is included in the eight-point socio-economic agenda of Marcos administration as the country gears towards the economic recovery from the adverse effects caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
For his part, PHILEXPORT President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. highlighted the significance of public-private partnerships (PPP), particularly on advocacy and services to help fulfill the group’s mandate of nation-building through exports.
Ortiz-Luis identified first strong cases of PPP which are the passage of the Export Development Act (EDA) that led to the birth of the Export Development and the National Competitiveness Councils.
He said the EDA initiated advocacy and programs, such as the development and implementation of the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP), the Magna Carta for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, streamlining of export procedures and requirements, opening and expansion of market access, and institutionalization of trade facilitation policies and laws.
“Consistent with the PEDP, PHILEXPORT has likewise worked to diversify our markets and products from the traditional to the groundbreakers that we know now. And we continue to bank on this close and proactive engagement with government and private sector partners to sustain the
advocacies and programs to the benefit of industry stakeholders,” he added.