The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is a Philippine government agency mandated to ensure ease of business among all agencies of the Philippine government. It was created through Republic Act No. 11032 or the "Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act", which was passed on May 28, 2018. It has since made efforts to streamline and promote digitization of various government services.
The authority investigates complaints of red tape within the government and, depending on findings, recommends subsequent action to be taken by the relevant government agencies. The authority is headed by a director general, who becomes part of the Cabinet of the Philippines, and three deputy directors general. The current director general is Ernesto V. Perez.
History
Background
Prior to 2007, red tape ran prevalent within government services. Because of the long turnaround time for government services, some government officials, termed fixers, expedited provision of those services in exchange for a fee.
On June 2, 2007, the 13th Congress of the Philippines and former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo passed the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. The act aimed to reduce bureaucratic red tape within the government and reduce the corruption that results from it. The initial implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act was spearheaded by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and joined by the Development Academy of the Philippines, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission. Its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR)—a document defining specifics for the law's implementation—was signed on July 24, 2008.
In 2016, the 8888 Citizen's Complaint Hotline opened to receive reports of poor government front-line service delivery and corrupt practices in government agencies.
Creation
In an effort to further streamline government services, the 17th Congress of the Philippines and former President Rodrigo Duterte passed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. The law, passed on May 28, 2018, officially created the Anti-Red Tape Authority as a new attachment of the Office of the President. Ernesto V. Perez was the first appointed official of the agency, being appointed a deputy director general on October 31, 2018 and later officer-in-charge for the authority's Office of the Director General on December 8. The final public hearing for the agency's IRR was held on April 16, 2019, but was blocked from promulgation due to the lack of an appointed director general, who has the sole power to recommend the IRR's approval to the president. In the period between the passing of the original law and the authority's IRR, red tape still remained a problem for businesses in the Philippines. The agency's first director general, Jeremiah Belgica, was appointed on July 3, 2019. Subsequently, the IRR of the authority was passed on July 17, 2019, over a year after the agency was first formed. The IRR was formed and promulgated as a joint document by the CSC, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the authority.
On June 2, 2022, Ombudsman Samuel Martires ordered the preventive suspension of Belgica and four other authority officials for six months following a complaint made by Dito Telecommunity Chief Administrative Officer Adel Tamano which accused the authority of giving preferential treatment to Now Telecom. The Office of the President implemented the suspension on June 7. Perez returned as director general officer-in-charge for the authority on June 11. He was later appointed by President Bongbong Marcos as the authority's new permanent director general on November 14, 2022, replacing Belgica. On March 3, 2023, the Ombudsman found the suspended officials guilty of grave misconduct; they were dismissed, disqualified from holding public office, and stripped of retirement benefits. The officials who were removed from position prior to the conviction,,including Belgica, including Belgica, were ordered to pay a fine equal to one year of their salary.
Activities
Prior to the approval of its IRR, the authority already began enforcing the Ease of Doing Business Act. The authority actively promotes the digitization of government services, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which already pushed government services to use digital platforms. The authority also aims to enforce a maximum processing time for government services: 3 days for simple transactions, 7 days for complex transactions, and 20 days for highly technical transactions.