Ease of Doing Business bill hurdles bicam in Congress

MANILA, Philippines — A Senate-House bicameral conference committee (bicam) has finalized a bill that aims to simplify procedures in doing business in the country.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles, appropriations committee chairman and a bicam member, said the proposed “The Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018” is expected to stimulate investments that would in turn “create jobs and incomes for our people.”

“Nothing attracts foreign investors to a country like having the government’s assurance that the processing and release of licenses and permits would be fast, hassle-free, and efficient. Even local businesses are bound to thrive with this proposed new law in place,” he said.

“In a lot of ways, the spirit of the measure reflects the culture of efficiency that President Duterte promoted when he was still Davao City mayor. He has repeatedly declared that it’s his pet peeve to see people standing in long queues, so it makes sense that he would want the same level of efficiency in all levels of governance in the country,” he said.

He said the proposed law mandates all government agencies, including state corporations, whether located here or abroad, and local government units to simply procedures related to the proceessing of issuances to businesses.

He added that the bicam included a “zero-contact policy” provision in the final version of the bill.

It states: “Except during the preliminary assessment of the request and evaluation of sufficiency of submitted requirements, no government officer or employee shall have any contact, in any manner, unless strictly necessary, with any applicant or requesting party concerning an application or request.”

“This provision minimizes the chance of corruption among government workers and ensures the prompt filing and processing of the applicants’ requirements from the get-go,” Nograles said.

He said the bill prescribes a unified business application form for all types of permits and issuances, and calls for the setting up of a one-stop processing shop.

The measure also directs agencies to automate their processes, he said.

“This will guarantee more efficient business registration processes,” he stressed.

He added that the Department of Information and Communications Technology would help agencies, including local government units, computerize their processing and issuance of permits.