Gov't reduces permit processing time by over 90% 

The Philippine government has slashed permit processing time by more than 90 percent in key sectors, which significantly improves the ease of doing business and attracts more investments, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said in a report by Philippine News Agency.

In a forum in line with the celebration of the Ease of Doing Business month in Quezon City Thursday, ARTA Director General Ernesto Perez said major regulatory gains under its flagship National Effort for Harmonization of Efficient Measures of Inter-related Agencies (NEHEMIA) Program streamlined bureaucratic procedures in sectors such as telecommunications, energy, construction, housing, logistics, food and pharmaceuticals, mining, agriculture, semiconductor, and water.

Among the most significant improvements were in the telecommunication infrastructure, wherein average permit processing time for shared passive telecommunications towers infrastructure (PTTI) reduced from 241 days to 16 days, declining by 93 percent.

This, as the number of permits required has been significantly reduced from 13 to eight, while documentary requirements was slashed from 86 to 35.

For fiber poles and facilities, permit requirements were reduced from 11 to five and documentary requirements from 62 to 26, which shortened the average processing time from 868 days to only 74 working days.

ARTA credited the successful implementation of these reforms to close coordination among national government agencies, local government units, and private partners.

Perez said Executive Order No. 32, signed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., institutionalized the reforms and streamlined permitting across the priority sectors.

He said these reforms have improved internet speed in the country, with mobile rising from 18.68 megabits per second (Mbps) in 2022 to 27.75 in 2024, while fixed broadband nearly doubled from 46.44 Mbps to 92.19 Mbps.

“These advances helped the Philippines climb 31 spots in the United Nations e-Participation Index now at 49th, and 16 spots in the e-Government Development Index now 73rd, reflecting major strides in digital governance and service delivery,” Perez said.

He added that in order to sustain the quality of regulatory environment, ARTA is cognizant of the need to adopt an ex-ante, or a forward-looking Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA).

"Ex-ante RIA will filter regulations based on their quality, thereby preventing outdated, redundant and conflicting regulations to enter the regulatory requirement,” Perez said.

Moreover, ARTA's Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS), a centralized online platform that allows businesses to view current and proposed regulations, promotes transparency in government regulations.

As of 2024, 220 government agencies have been onboarded to PBRIS, with 44 submitting annual regulatory plans covering 12 regulatory actions this year.

ARTA is also developing a national inventory of regulations for renewable energy and digital connectivity sectors, which are expected to be uploaded by mid-2025.

“When we streamline and digitalize government processes, this is the best way to fight red tape and corruption, and in the process, we will see the impact,” Perez said.