The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) remains steadfast in its fight against corruption through eradicating all forms of red tape in the government.
Secretary Jeremiah Belgica, ARTA Director General, said red tape is one of the root causes of corruption. With this, the Authority is taking various measures to eliminate the government’s old and bureaucratic systems.
Among these is its intensified anti-fixer operations, which it exercises under its enforcement function.
On 3 June 2021, the ARTA, together with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) launched an entrapment operation against a fixer working as a janitor at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) in Lipa City, Batangas.
The ARTA also issued a show-cause order against the head of BIR-Lipa. This is because the Authority also wants to go after the big fishes and not just the people who serve under them, Belgica said.
Another recent entrapment operation that the ARTA launched was against a fixer who offered his illegal services to Undersecretary BGen. Carlos F. Quita, Ret., Deputy Director General for Finance and Administration, outside the Land Transportation Office in Quezon City on 15 June 2021.
Since then, Belgica vowed to intensify the ARTA’s crackdown on fixing and other acts of extortion along East Avenue in Quezon City, a known hotspot for fixers, where several government offices are located.
The agency has also tapped other government agencies, the Quezon City local government, and law enforcement to augment the Authority’s personnel who were deployed to monitor the area.
In line with its mission, the Anti-Red Tape Secretary made it a point to partner with other government agencies and local government units for a more integrated approach against red tape and corruption.
The ARTA has sought strengthened ties with the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). Belgica said this is because red tape and corruption are like “siblings.”
On 24 May 2021, the Authority joined PACC and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines in the Kasangga: Tokhang Kontra Korapsyon program that aims to eradicate corruption and promote good governance in the country.
The ARTA Director General is also pushing for the streamlining and eventual automation of government systems to lessen person-to-person contact.
This will remove redundant processes; set a uniformed list of requirements, fees, and processing time; and make processes faster and more convenient for the public.
Together with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and other key agencies, the Authority set up the Central Business Platform, a single digital platform for business registrations.
Local government units were also mandated to establish their electronic Business One-Stop Shops (eBOSS). Belgica has been making rounds in the LGUs of Metro Manila to verify their compliance to the order.
Key agencies and LGUs are currently in discussion with the Authority to set up a BOSS at Matnog Port in Sorsogon, which is seen as one of the “gateways” to Mindanao. The move is seen to lessen the public’s interaction with fixers that have allegedly proliferated in the area due to long queues.
The ARTA is also monitoring LGUs to ensure that they are no longer charging vehicles transporting goods illegal pass-through fees, or unauthorized fees to access certain roads.
The agency, together with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Finance already issued a Joint Memorandum Circular prohibiting the collection of fees and taxes on the transport of goods and products.
This covers “charges for wharfage, tolls for bridges or otherwise, sticker fee, discharging fee, delivery fee, market fee, toll fee, entry fee, and/or mayor’s permit fee, or other taxes, fees, or charges in any form whatsoever upon such goods or merchandise.”
To further widen its reach, the Authority has also partnered with private stakeholders called ARTA Champions who are given the responsibility to receive complaints for violations of Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
As of this writing, the ARTA has six ARTA Champions from the business and media sectors. These include the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Guild of Real Estate Entrepreneurs and Professionals, the Confederation of Filipino Workers, Junior Chamber International, the Manila Times, and Flash Media.
