THE Civil Service Commission (CSC) is actively campaigning for the promotion and implementation of the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018.

The Republic Act No. 11032 or An Act Promoting Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery (EODB-EGSD Act) is an amendment of the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007 that promotes the efficiency of the quality services offered as ways of strengthening the previous law.

This was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte last May 28. Under the law, it shortens the processing period in business and non-business transactions. It will be three working days for simple transactions, seven working days for complex transactions, and twenty working days for highly technical application/transactions.

This is seen to ease the perennial problem of bureaucratic red tape in the government institutions.

Alicia Dela Rosa-Bala, CSC chairperson, during a press conference Wednesday, July 18, lauded the city government for shifting to paperless transactions.

"Actually under the law, the overall goal is to ease the transactions of the public with the government offices so there is a specifically stated there about the Automation of procedures and processes of the government agencies specially to those agencies that are inter-linked... to ensure the transition of traders we should support the local government units in manners of Automation,” she said.

There would be stiffer penalties imposed on those who fail to observe the prescribed transaction periods. It is the more improved ARTA that gives sanctions to the employees that are subjected to complaints.

For first offense, violators would face suspension for six months at most while the second offense is already subjected to dismissal and last offense would be criminally liable for six to 12-month imprisonment with a bail maximum of P2 million.

These sanctions will undergo due process before penalties will be imposed. Complaints should be supported with clear evidence.

She said that complaints should have a strong statement with the name of the erring employee, the time of transaction, the circumstances that the complaints were based on and the attached documents that will testify so that they could have initial information where to begin their investigation.

From August 2016 to November 2017, the Civil Service Commission held the hot line (888-888) for complaints that is now given to the Office of the President specifically the office of the cabinet undersecretaries, said Dela Rosa-Bala.

Dela Rosa-Bala also pointed out that unlike ARTA which only focused on frontline services; the EODB-AGSD Act covers all government transactions. (Amanie R. Ya’cob, MSU Marawi Intern)