Anti-Red Tape Authority, alamin!
Anti-Red Tape Authority, alamin!
Transcript
00:00 In the month of July, the Executive Order No. 32 was issued,
00:05 or the Streamlining the Permitting Process for the Construction of Telecommunications and Internet Infrastructure.
00:13 This is to speed up the digital transformation of our country.
00:19 And to learn more information and updates about this,
00:23 we will now have with us Sec. Ernesto V. Perez, the Director General of the Anti-Red Tape Authority, or ARTA.
00:30 Good morning, Secretary. Welcome to Rise and Shine Philippines. This is Dian Pueto and Audrey.
00:35 Good morning to Rise and Shine. Thank you for this opportunity to share the programs launched by the Anti-Red Tape Authority.
00:48 Secretary, on September 25, ARTA approved the Implementing Rules and Regulations, or IRR, of Executive Order No. 32.
01:00 How did the process of drafting this come about?
01:03 First, our President signed Executive Order No. 32 on July 4, 2023,
01:14 where the validity and coverage of our first Joint Memorandum Circular on Shared Passive Telecommunications Tower
01:26 and the construction of poles was extended to speed up the construction of our Telecommunications Tower Infrastructure.
01:38 Because the directive of our President is that the government's processes should be streamlined and digitalized.
01:48 Before the issuance of this JMC, it took a long time to get a permit to construct and operate shared towers.
01:57 But within one year, JMC was issued in June 2021, it was fast and we reduced the number of processing days of constructing poles from 868 working days to just 74,
02:15 and the requirements were reduced from 62 to 26 and the number of permits from 11 to 5.
02:24 So, this is very good and because this was issued during the pandemic and it was anchored to the emergency power that was given to the President by Congress,
02:38 or the Bayanayan to Recover as One Act, this expired on September 14, 2023.
02:46 But our telecommunications companies and tower companies, because they saw the effect of this JMC, that the construction and obtaining of permits was fast,
03:01 they asked and filed with our beloved President, together with the Anti-Retroactive Authority and DICT, Department of Information and Communications Technology,
03:16 and the Private Sector Advisory Council composed of private companies or private stakeholders.
03:24 We drafted an executive order, we helped both government and private stakeholders, and this was added by our President on July 4.
03:35 Immediately thereafter, a week, we held a series of meetings and ride-shops involving government agencies, DICT, National Telecommunications Commission,
03:48 DILG, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Department of Socialized Housing and Urban Development,
03:58 and together with the big four telecommunications companies and 21 tower companies.
04:05 After two workshops, the last, the second workshop we held on July 4, in the morning and afternoon, we learned that our President has already signed.
04:18 And so, because we started preparing here, it didn't take long because under the executive order, we were given 60 working days from the effectivity of July 5 after it was published.
04:31 So, because we had a previous workshop, it was done quickly and in less than 60 working days, we finished the draft implementing rules and regulations that was chaired by the DICT.
04:44 But the ARPA, because all of us are here under a whole of nation approach, we were the ones who took the initiative.
04:51 This is what we should do to make it quick. We included the private stakeholders because they are the ones who know and experience what are the requirements to remove and what else to do.
05:05 So, with this, it's good that under the executive order, it was expanded in coverage because before, it only covers repair, maintenance, and security.
05:21 Okay Secretary Perez, we also want to ask, what will be the impact of this EO32 for our countrymen and of course, for the economy of our country?
05:31 Because the construction of towers will be increased, the internet connection will be faster.
05:41 According to the booklet test result, in one year that the JMC was implemented, our internet connection was faster.
05:50 And because the coverage was expanded, we expect that the internet connection will be stronger and we will be able to cover the whole country.
05:59 So our plan here is even the parkland areas as far as Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga, Batanes, all parts of the country will be covered.
06:16 And like I said, based on the booklet test result, our speed from 52 to 92 Mbps was improved in the mobile from 19 to 25 Mbps.
06:31 So because the internet connection will be faster and the processes will be streamlined, we will attract investors. Because the first thing that investors look for is the ease of doing business in the country.
06:47 That's why the Anti-Retributive Authority, the primary agency to implement the national policy on ease of doing business, we are doing programs.
06:56 And this includes the implementation of Executive Order 32 and implementing rules and regulations that we launched the other day.
07:07 So now that we are in Cebu, we will conduct the first ever ease of doing business summit in the country.
07:17 We invited all chambers of commerce, private stakeholders and government agencies to discuss together what else we should do to answer the questions and concerns of not only prospective investors but even current investors
07:39 to support them to continue investing in our country because our economy needs this.
07:45 Okay, Secretary, this 888 hotline was very popular in the last administration.
07:53 We have a lot of people who don't know about this. Is this under the ARTA?
07:59 It's not under the ARTA. We signed a memorandum of agreement with 8888 or Citizens Complaint Center on February 21, 2023.
08:14 This coming October 11, we will have a legal summit to launch our memorandum of agreement with 8888. According to this memorandum of agreement, the process to quickly answer the complaints of our people will be stronger.
08:36 Like before the memorandum of agreement, 8888 will require the government agency to answer the questions of the people of the country. If this is not answered, it will be until then.
08:49 Now with the memorandum of agreement with ARTA, Citizens Complaint Center will be the one to file the complaint and ARTA will investigate. So it will be stronger and we can answer the complaints of our people in a short time.
09:06 Alright, Sec. Perez, this is a follow-up question. Regarding the government agencies, people who want to make transactions with our government agencies, is there a cut-off time for the offices that can only accept the documents or transactions to the public, sir?
09:27 Under Republic Act 11032 or East of Doing Business, anyone in the premises of the government agency must accept their application.
09:41 And no lunch break policy, no cut-off. If someone has an application and is in the agency, they must accept it within office hour, meaning from 8am to 5pm.
10:03 Of course, there is also a coverage of East of Doing Business, not only the national government agencies, not only local government units but even state hospitals, state universities and water districts.
10:17 So it can't be just return tomorrow, we are already cut-off.
10:20 Yes, and the cut-off that we hear is only 3pm. It can't be. So it's just in the premises that the government employee must entertain the citizens approaching.
10:31 Okay. Well, thank you very much for your time. We have with us Secretary Ernesto Perez, Director General of the Artawanta Red Tape Authority.
10:40 Thank you again, Sec.
10:41 Thank you, Sec.