“The way to create jobs is to attract business. The way to attract business is to make it as easy as possible for investors to start investing.”
This according to Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, co-author of the landmark Ease of Doing Business bill, recently approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives.
House Bill 6579, “An act establishing a national policy on ease of doing business, creating for the purpose the Ease of Doing Business Commission, and for other purposes, prescribes a processing time of one working day for barangays, three working days for national agencies and other LGUs in case of simple applications, and 10 working days for complex issuances.
Castelo asked, “Why red tape? Why not green lane?” He emphasized that only an improved business climate will speed up the creation of an inclusive economy that President Rodrigo Duterte has committed to deliver to the people.
Only an improved business climate will speed up the creation of an inclusive economy that President Rodrigo Duterte has committed to deliver to the people.
Under the approved bill, national government agencies issuing any kind of permit, license or clearance, and local government units (LGUs), including barangays, shall post in their offices and websites a list of requirements for such issuances, and a step-by-step procedure in applying for them.
For other complicated permits or licenses that require extensive evaluation, the approved bill fixes a maximum processing time of 30 working days.
In the annual Doing Business Report of the World Bank, the Philippines landed at 113th place out of 190 economies, coming from 99th place the previous year.
“While the score of the Philippines actually improved to 58.74 this year from 58.32 in the previous year, such marginal increase was no match to the pace of improvement of other countries,” Castelo observed.
“We will never become world-class if we remain to think and act third-world. World-class means simple, and fast. Third-world means complicated, and slow,” Castelo stressed.
“This necessary and beneficial legislation must be passed into law at the soonest possible time, in the same way that it requires permits, licenses and other documents to be released at the soonest possible time,” Castelo concluded.