ARTA restarts business hub, cuts business registration to one step

THE Anti-Red Tape Authority said Monday it relaunched the Philippine Business Hub as part of its plan to optimize the process of registering a business in one day.

ARTA acting director-general Ernesto Perez called on other government agencies to continue working with the agency to reduce the number of days and steps for registering businesses to one day and one step.

“I don’t think it’s impossible because we have laid down the groundwork, and we are doing things right. It’s not an impossible dream,” he said.

PBH, formerly known as the Central Business Portal, reduced the length of days for registering businesses from 33 days and 13 steps to only seven days with only one step.

The PBH, since its launch in January 2021, facilitated the registration of 703 corporations and 6,729 sole proprietorships.

“We are doing what we can to really fulfill the mandate to make doing business in the country easy and provide efficient services for all. All we seek is your support and, of course, utilize the services that we provide, because this is all for your advantage and convenience. Rest assured that we will not stop here, but will continue to develop programs and initiatives that will improve our country and make your lives easier,” Perez said.

ARTA organized the relaunch to encourage more corporations and government agencies to get onboard the portal.

ARTA said it would further improve the PBH through its Business Process Mapping project. The project aims to map out all the permits and licenses involved in the entire business cycle and integrate it to the PBH.

It envisions a “womb-to-tomb” approach that covers not only permits on starting a business, but also those that concern operating and closing a business.

ARTA also integrated the Philippine Business Regulations Information System into the PBH platform. PBRIS is an ARTA-led initiative, an online platform that provides accessible information on the Philippine Regulatory Management System and the laws and regulations that are relevant to the public.

Trade Undersecretary Ireneo Vizmonte reaffirmed the DTI’s commitment to support initiatives in line with Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.