Government starts reduction in business registration process

MANILA, Philippines - The government is putting into motion its campaign to cut business registration process in the country to one day.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the departments of Trade and Industry, Interior and Local Government, and the Information and Communications Technology (DICT) are set to come out with a joint memorandum circular that would make business registration across the country easier and simpler.

“In the area of trying to streamline the processes, we are issuing and signing with the DILG and the DICT a circular that will encourage and urge local government units (LGUs),  all the mayors and cities, to streamline their respective business processes and hopefully, have a standardized business process,” Lopez said.

The upcoming circular, targeted for release by the end of the month,  will require all LGUs to adhere to a standard business registration form as well as standard number of signatories, among others.

Lopez said the average business registration process in the country had been slashed to eight days from 30 days.

He said the government was now looking to cut it further to three days and eventually to just one day.

Lopez said this would require a lot of streamlining in terms of forms and signatories.

“When we get to the streamlined version, our next move is to automate to allow us to really bring down further from two to three days to one day. The memorandum circular will urge the LGUs to process business permits and issue licenses in one and a half days. That’s the mandate and hopefully we get to implement that once we release the circular,” he said.