Anti-red tape bill set for ratification

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri is upbeat on the enactment of the proposed AntiRed Tape Act before Congress goes on break next month.

Zubiri, chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, said the proposed Ease of Doing Business Act (EODB), also known as the Extended Anti-Red Tape Act (EARTA), has hurdled Congress' bicameral conference committee and is ready for ratification by both houses.

“We are anticipating that the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act bill will be ratified next week and signed by the President before Congress adjourns,” said Zubiri, who led the Senate panel in the bicameral meeting.

“The speed of the bicam meeting mirrors the speed of government transactions once the EODB/ EARTA is enacted. The element of time is crucial because we have found that delays were not just because of antiquated systems but often intentional to commit graft and corruption," he added.

The two houses, among others, agreed to lessen processing time for permits and documents to three days for simple applications to seven days for complex transcations and 20 days for highly-technical applications.

The bicameral-approved measure would also allow the automatic approval of permits and licenses should the local government unit or government agency fail to act on the application within the processing time, except for cases that pose danger to public health, public safety, public morals or to public policy, and for highly technical application such as natural resource extraction activities.