THE government has missed its Oct. 22 deadline to approve the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) law.
Trade Undersecretary for Competitiveness and EoDB Rowell S. Barba said that although the IRR was finalized and submitted yesterday to the Office of the President, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), the implementing agency of the Republic Act 11032 or the EoDB Act of 2018, needs to be formed before the guidelines are issued.
“Under the law, the ARTA has the authority to release and promulgate the IRR,” Mr. Barba said in a phone interview on Monday.
“The DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) [Competitiveness and EoDB bureau] cannot release the IRR since it is just a temporary secretariat,” he added.
Malacañang Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a text message that the list of appointees to ARTA “is not complete yet.”
“Let’s just wait for the announcement of the (Executive Secretary),” Mr. Panelo, who is also the chief presidential legal counsel, said when asked for a timeline for the IRR issuance.
The Ease of Doing Business law was signed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on May 28. It requires all government agencies to reduce the processing time for business permits and official documents.
Business groups have been awaiting the EoDB law’s implementation to fix government inefficiencies in issuing permits.
The passage of the law is also expected to improve the Philippines’ ranking in the World Bank’s 2020 Doing Business report as the review period for the 2019 round concluded before it could factor in the signing of the EoDB law.
Nevertheless, the DTI expects ranking improvements in the 2019 survey following other government initiatives focused on EoDB reforms.
These include the Securities and Exchange Commission’s online company registration system; the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s single window transaction project; and Quezon City’s one-stop shops for business permits.
In the World Bank’s Doing Business 2018 report, the Philippines was 113th among 190 economies, slipping from its 2017 rank of 99th. — Janina C. Lim
