ARTA to approve pending telco, tower applications with LGUs

MANILA – Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Director General Jeremiah Belgica said a new Joint Memorandum Circular ( JMC) will be issued that will automatically approve all pending applications for common towers with the local government units (LGUs).

This is pursuant to the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to fast-track transactions in government offices.

Duterte, in his fifth State of the Nation Address, has threatened telecommunications firms to be shut down if they will not improve their services by December.

But telecommunication firms said they faced delays in improving their infrastructure at LGU level as applications for permits have remained pending.

“In the coming days, ARTA, DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) and DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology) shall be meeting with the League of Provinces, Cities and Municipalities to further discuss with them the new JMC and the automatic approval of all pending applications for common towers with the different LGUs,” Belgica told reporters in a text message.

Belgica clarified that the new JMC that is yet to be signed will only automatically approve pending applications for telecommunication firms.

“ARTA will be declaring pending applications with complete submissions as automatically approved by operation of law,” he said.

He added that under the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Delivery of Government Service Act of 2018 or the EODB law, “if the granting authority fails to approve or disapprove an application for a license, clearance, permit, certification or authorization within the prescribed processing time, said application shall be deemed approved”.

The EODB law states that processing of licenses and permits in barangay, LGU, and national government agency (NGA) levels shall be a total of seven working days.

“When the approval of the appropriate local legislative body is necessary, a non-extendible period of 20 working days is hereby prescribed,” Belgica said.

He said ARTA had a consultation meeting with telecommunication and tower companies Tuesday.

They were asked to submit to ARTA all their pending applications with LGUs and NGAs, he added. /