By Perfecto T. Raymundo, Jr.
MANILA HOTEL — The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) on Thursday (Nov. 6)
conducted its last day of the three-day (Nov. 4-6) 2025 Ease of Doing Business Convention with the theme, “LEAD with EODB: Leveraging Efficiency, Accountability, and Digitalizaton for Ease of Doing Business”.
In his welcome remarks, Usec. Ricojudge Janvier M. Echiverri, ARTA Deputy Director General for Administration and Finance, thanked the partners and guests in their journey for reforms.
Echiverri cited for the past three days of the convention “Accountability, innovation and collaboration” have been tackled and to add one more “impact”.
“Our people should feel the impact of our reforms,” he said.
“As we close this convention, may this lead to the vision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.in the Ease of Doing Business,” he added.
Ma. Margarita Santos-Mejia, Head of Quezon City Business Permits and Licensing Department, said that Quezon City is home to more than 3 million population and 80,000 business establishments.
Santos-Mejia presented” Digitalization as a Driver of Local Competetiveness” as the backbone of business in the city.
She cited the QC e-Services portal that helps QCitizens to apply for various regulatory permits and verify property ownership, among others.
The Quezon City Unified ID now has one million holders who are beneficiaries of social programs such as free maintenance medicines without duplication.
In the distribution of Pamaskong Handog, QCitizen ID is also required.
The QCity Bus free rides also save the QCitizens P6,000 individually in transportation cost monthly.
Hotline 122: Centralized 24/7 Help Desk is the “human voice” of the digital government of Quezon City.
Santos-Mejia stressed “from womb to tomb is the EODB in Quezon City with a complete digital business ecosystem that is data-driven and completely paperless.”
99.9% meet the standard period for simple transaction on the renewal applications, with the aim of achieving 100%.
Quezon City is the first local government unit in the Philippines to launch a Digital Retirement Program.
ARTA Director General Secretary Ernesto V. Perez led the three-day convention.
“As a general rule, we don’t need the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) with agencies to act,” Secretary Perez said.
“We are complying with the directive of the President (President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.) to digitalize and streamline government transactions and processes,” he added.
“We have the mandate to improve and facilitate government processes through the ‘Ease of Doing Business’,” Perez stressed. ###
