STREAMLINING. Anti-Red Tape Authority Director General Ernesto Perez (center) says the government is reaping the gains of streamlining the systems and procedures of government services, during a press conference held at the ARTA office located inside the NFA Compound, Loakan Road, Baguio City on Thursday (Jan. 26, 2023). He said he is optimistic that LGUs nationwide would be fully compliant with the ease of doing business law not only for the benefit of the government, but most importantly, for the clients who will reap the fruits of a shortened turnaround time in government transactions. (PNA photo by Liza T. Agoot) BAGUIO CITY - The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said 98 percent of the local government units (LGUs) of the Cordillera region comply with the government directive to install measures that would ease government transactions. ARTA North Luzon Director Rodolfo del Rosario Jr. made the pronouncement during a late afternoon press conference Thursday, acknowledging that 81 of t
MANILA - Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Officer-in-Charge Ernesto Perezsaid Wednesday he will ensure that the operations of the agency will continue to provide unhampered reforms in improving public services despite the suspension offive suspended officials over the issuance of a resolution on automatic approval of the application of NOW Telecom for the frequencies now owned by DITO Telecommunity Corp. Perez, in a statement, however, admitted that there will be challenges in the agency under his watch following the graft complaints filed against ARTA Director-General Jeremiah Belgica, Deputy Director-General Eduardo Bringas, Legal Director Melamy Salvadora-Asperin, Legal Division Chief Sheryl Pura Sumagui, and former Legal Director Jedrek Ng. The five executives are placed under a six-month preventive suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman following the graft complaints filed by DITO. DITO alleged that ARTA's resolution to automatically approve the long-standing application of N
Anti-Red Tape Authority officer-in-charge Ernesto Perez(Photo courtesy of ARTA) MANILA - Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Deputy Director General for Operations, Undersecretary Ernesto Perez, will head the agency until June 30. Perez takes over after Director General Jeremiah Belgica and four other ARTA officials were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for six months due to a graft case filed by a telecommunications firm. The suspension order is preventive so the officials could not influence the investigation. Perez's appointment as ARTA officer in charge (OIC), signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on June 10, aims to ensure the "continuous and effective delivery of public service." "My appointment as OIC of ARTA appears to be providential as I was also appointed as OIC when the agency was found. I thank the President and the officials and staff of ARTA for their continued trust and support," he said in a statement early Friday evening. He added
(PNA file photo) MANILA - The Philippines' population for 2021 increased by 324,000 or a mere 0.3 percent compared to the 2020 data of 914,797 births. The Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) said on Monday the annual "natural increase" was the lowest since the period 1946 and 1947 when the population grew by 254,000. "Filipinos remained prudent by continuing to delay having children or forming families during the combined economic crisis and Covid-19 health emergency. Couples in growing numbers continue to avail of family planning commodities and services in all regions of the country, with eight million users of modern family planning methods in 2020, or an addition of about 500,000 from 2019," PopCom chief Dr. Juan Perez III explained in a livecast. The data came from PopCom's computations based on the Philippine Statistics Authority's preliminary reports from January 2020 to August 2021. With the estimate, the Filipino population will be
File photo MANILA - Despite the World Bank announcement on the discontinuation of its Doing Business Report, the Philippines will pursue reforms in ease of doing business. The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said the country will now have a "localized version of the Doing Business Report" of the World Bank by launching the Philippine Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Reporting System. "We believe that what the World Bank has been doing is good for the country's competitiveness ranking," ARTA deputy director general Ernesto Perez said during the EODB Summit in Quezon City Thursday. Perez said the Philippine EODB Reporting System will adopt World Bank's previous Doing Business Report methodology including the 10 indicators-Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Getting Electricity, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Minority Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading Across Borders, Enforcing Contracts, and Resolving Insolvency. "We will a