Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has reconstituted the Ease of Doing Business and Automation Task Force to harmonize the city government’s efforts with various national policies and help further streamline the city government’s processes and services.
In Executive Order No. 47, Series of 2020, Belmonte turned the existing Ease of Doing Business and Automation Task Force into the Committee on Anti-Red Tape and Ease of Doing Business (CART-EODB).
The mayor saw the need to reconstitute the Task Force after the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) issued Memorandum Circular No. 2020-07 institutionalizing the Committee on Anti-Red Tape (CART) in all government offices.
City Administrator Mike Alimurung will serve as chairperson of CART-EODB while co-chairpersons are the heads of Business Permits and Licensing Department and Department of Building Official. The heads of various city departments and offices will act as members.
The Task Force was earlier established through Executive Order No. 36 Series of 2019 following the enactment of Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act to align the city’s 14-point agenda with the national government policy.
Mayor Belmonte saw the need to reconstitute the Task Force after the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) issued Memorandum Circular No. 2020-07 institutionalizing the Committee on Anti-Red Tape (CART) in all government offices.
“To turn the city into an attractive business destination for investors, we must strengthen and improve our business processes as mandated by law,” said Belmonte.
“Maliban dito, kailangan na nating wakasan ang red tape na nakakaapekto sa mga proseso upang mapadali ang paghahatid serbisyo sa ating mamamayan,” she added.
Under its expanded functions, duties, and responsibilities under Executive Order No. 47, the CART-EODB is mandated to streamline all city government services by making relevant procedural steps more efficient to meet the deadlines under the EODB law.
The CART-EODB may also implement a single unified application for all offices, adopt a flexi-time schedule to enable the delivery of services during lunch break or after regular working hours, limit transactions to not more than three signatories and adopt a policy wherein submitted documents are accepted as true, provided that the applicant submits the proper certification.
Under its expanded functions, duties and responsibilities under Executive Order No. 47, the CART-EODB is mandated to streamline all city government services by making relevant procedural steps more efficient to meet the deadlines under the EODB law.
It is also tasked to enable service delivery through physical or online one-stop shops where citizens can complete necessary steps while interfacing with a single website or by transacting in a single location only.
For faster transactions, the digitization, and computerization of various systems are also encouraged, including the establishment of a back-end system and intranet interconnecting all offices and the use of electronic documents instead of hard copies, among others.
The committee can also work on enabling electronic payments for city government services and transactions, including online payment mechanisms, credit card facilities and other e-payment terminals in QC Hall and payment kiosks in strategic locations around the city.
Belmonte added that CART-EODB must ensure that all city government processes must comply with the requirements of RA No. 11032, ARTA Memorandum Circular No. 2020-07 and other subsequent issuances by the Authority.