The Philippines may graduate from the starter stage to the enabled level in the Regulatory Management System by the end of the year, said Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Secretary Jeremiah Belgica.
Belgica credited this to the Authority’s conduct of Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) trainings with government agencies which he called the “necessary tools and regulatory infrastructure” to improve the country’s maturity level.
RIA trainings are conducted for government agencies to assess themselves and their proposed regulations to streamline their systems and ensure that government regulations are efficient and effective. This is usually done by countries that have achieved maturity in the four stages of the Regulatory Management System, Belgica said.
“Napakaganda at napakahalaga nito na matutunan ito ng Pilipinas. You know, ito ‘yung mga tinatawag nating long-term solutions natin na makikita natin ang pagbubunga nito sa darating na mga panahon,” Belgica said during the launch of the Kapihan sa ARTA on June 17.
“Ito ay kasama sa arming stage natin sa mga agencies. In fact, sa four stages ng maturity ng Regulatory Management System ng mga bansa, ang Pilipinas, for the longest time, stuck tayo sa Level 1… but thankfully, this administration ng ating Pangulo, by the end of this year, naniniwala tayo that we will finally graduate from the beginner’s stage into the empowered level,” he added.
At least 44 agencies underwent user’s training on basic RIA from May to September 2019. Meanwhile, around 24 agencies are undergoing user’s training on advanced RIA from April to June 2021.
The ARTA director-general encouraged other government agencies who have yet to undergo the RIA training to make use of the tool to gain more knowledge on the proper processes in crafting, reviewing, and implementing regulations to ensure that they do not cause undue burden.
Deputy Director-General for Operations Undersecretary Ernesto V. Perez echoed Belgica’s sentiment, saying that the public can be more assured of receiving good service from the government if they undergo RIA training.
“Kung lahat ng regulatory agencies ay mag-undergo ng RIA, maiiwasan po natin ang problema,” he said.
“‘Yung mga agencies involved, ‘yung mga nagre-render ng services, ito po ang ating inuna. Kasi ito talaga ang nararamdaman ng taong bayan. At pag ito po ay na-subject na sa RIA, ang atin pong mga kababayan ay maa-assure na ‘yung mga regulasyon na pinapatupad ng isang ahensya ay nagkakaroon ng tamang konsultasyon at ang regulasyon na ‘to ay naaayon sa batas at ‘di nagpapahirap ng taong bayan,” he added.
Meanwhile, Belgica reiterated his call for the World Bank to review its methodology in ranking countries in its annual Doing Business report, as its current method does not capture the Authority’s numerous efforts in streamlining government processes.
“The advent of this very wonderful, beautiful law—Republic Act No. 11032, ‘yung streamlining na ginagawa sa ating bansa ngayon, hindi naca-capture lang basta ng survey na ginagawa ng World Bank,” he said.
“We do believe that one of the important yardsticks ng accomplishment natin dito sa burukrasya at red tape, malaking bagay po ‘yung mga independent studies, pero ‘yung nararamdaman ng taong bayan on the ground, ‘yan ang mas importante, at ‘yan ang mas tinitingnan ng ating Pangulo,” he added.
The Anti Red-Tape chief also said the remains confident that the Philippines will get a high score in this year’s study, even with the alleged limitations in its methodology. (ARTA) – jlo
#PaspasPilipinas
#SmarterAndBetterWithARTA
#BawalSagabalSaPagunlad
