Drive LGUs to automate

“Engage the LGUs to automate.” The National Competitiveness Council (NCC) tells the business sector to encourage local government units to speed up the issuance of permits to help improve the country’s competitiveness in Ease of Doing Business.

NCC co-chair for the private sector Guillermo Luz said business chambers must help make stepping up government processes a reality.

Luz said the ultimate goal is to make as many government permits as possible available online particularly on mobile phones.

“Our goal is to take the country from this image of everyone lining up at counters to more of a concierge system where one window can serve all," he said, noting that the government must move to go online particularly on mobile phones as possible.

In a separate interview, businessman Jose Levistre Jr., chairman of industrial engineering company AG&P, said the country's ease of doing business has improved but stressed there are areas that still need to be further addressed.

"The ease of doing business is much better now generically," he said.

But Levistre also emphasized the government must further work to streamline bureaucracy and simplify the processes of getting permits.

Luz further cited the priority permits the NCC seeks to be available online are business and mayor’s permits, construction permits, occupancy permits, fire safety inspection certificates, the incorporation process with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), import/export trade-related processes and the national quality infrastructure for standards and certifications.

Based on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index 2017-2018, the Philippines ranked 56th out of 137 economies examined, from 57th in the 2016 report.

The country however lagged behind its nine neighbors in Southeast Asia where it ranked seventh ranking below Brunei and Vietnam, based on the report.

Philippines' gains are being offset by inefficient government bureaucracy, inadequate supply of infrastructure and corruption, all with the same rankings as in 2016.

Another area where the Philippines ranked low this year was the quality of its infrastructure including airports, ports, and roads.

Other indicators that ranked low include time to start a business, burden of customs procedures, agricultural policy costs, labor redundancy costs, and government procurement of advanced technology products.

Complex tax regulations and high tax rates are also included in the most problematic factors for doing business in the Philippines.