By PNA
KORONADAL CITY — The city government has received a blue certification from the Office of the Ombudsman for complying with the basic standards for its business permits and licensing system.
Cyrus Jose Urbano, city administrator, said Wednesday the certification was the result of the assessment conducted by the Ombudsman-Mindanao on the requirements for the rationalization of business transactions to ensure the ease of doing business in the city.
He said the local government specifically passed the first level assessment conducted by the Ombudsman on the Business Permits and Licensing Section of the City Treasurer’s Office.
It covered the setting up of the annual one-stop-shop for business permits application and renewals as well as the year-round processing of permits, he said.
“We’re currently working on further improvements in our systems as we aim for the Level 2 certification,” he said in a statement.
The official said the certification, which is in line with the implementation of Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business Act of 2018, is valid until Jan. 2, 2002.
He said the Ombudsman has actually evaluated a number of local government units for the certification but these have failed due to the stringent requirements.
The Ombudsman-Mindanao said the blue certification is “similar to the ISO certification for compliance with management system standards or to the Green Business Certification for meeting certain environmental standards and criteria.”
It establishes a methodology in clarifying systems and procedures in the regulation of businesses to reduce the burden of red tape in doing business, it said.
Urbano said the city government remains committed to upgrading its overall governance systems, especially in terms of improving transparency in its transactions.
“Overall, these initiatives will mainly result to better services to our constituents,” he added.
