MANILA, Philippines – Long lines, redundant processes, and too many signatures for transactions in government are expected to be cut drastically, as President Rodrigo Duterte ordered national agencies to eliminate “overregulation.”

Duterte’s Administrative Order (AO) No. 23 signed last February 21 directs agencies to retain only procedures and requirements necessary to fulfill their mandates.

The AO boosts Republic Act (RA) No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018 and RA No. 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, which aim to improve business conditions by cutting red tape.

Within 60 days upon the AO’s effectivity, agencies are required to report the following details showing how they have complied:

• List of regulations issued that govern each type of service offered to the public
• Steps or procedures and processing times necessary to be accomplished per service
• Legal basis for each regulation, as well as the policy justification for each step or procedure and requirement
• Relevant provisions of its charter which comply with RA No. 9485

The AO also specified that the Anti-Red Tape Authority will review and evaluate compliance reports submitted by the covered agencies within 6 months from the deadline of submission. (READ: [ANALYSIS | Point of Law] Will the Ease of Doing Business Act do the trick?)

Failure to comply would result in administrative cases pursuant to the Civil Service Commission’s rules.

The Anti-Red Tape Act aims to standardize processing time for applications and transactions with the government. For simple transactions, agencies are given 3 working days; 7 working days for complex transactions; and 20 working days for technical assessments.

Non-compliant agencies and individuals face hefty penalties, including imprisonment and a fine of as high as P2 million. – Rappler.com