Registration cut to 3 steps
Malaya
May 11, 2016
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) vowed to cut to three steps and three days the processing and issuance of businesses registrations filed with government agencies.
Under the existing Integrated Business Registry System (IBRS), businesses can be registered with either the Securities and Exchange Commission, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and Pag-IBIG. That is the first step.
Step two involves obtaining barangay clearance and mayor?s permit in just one or two days while step three entails the review of documents and the payment of fees.
The IBRS streamlines the process for companies to buy and use point-of-sale cash register machines, in lieu of printing of receipts and invoices at BIR-accredited print shops.
From April 2015 to March 2016, a total of 21,771 applications was processed by the IBRS within the day. For convenience of businesses, DTI will soon make IBRS available in its premises.
Adrian Cristobal Jr., DTI secretary, said government has been making significant progress in its commitment to reduce the process from 16 steps and 29 days in 2015, down to six steps and eight days in 2016, and further to three steps and three days.
Cristobal cited the need to raise Philippine competitiveness by aggressively pursuing measures and policies to facilitate ease of doing business, especially for micro, small and medium enterprises for them to be globally competitive.
Cristobal also cited the pioneering efforts of the Quezon City local government for quick registration of businesses in less than three days. Through its Business One Stop Shop, Quezon City streamlined its 12-step business registration procedure to just three steps as part of the government?s campaign.
Another initiative, the Nationwide Streamlining of Business Permits and Licensing Systems (BPLS) Program aims to reduce the stress and cost of doing business in the country.?
The BPLS is a joint undertaking of the DTI and the Department of the Interior and Local Government(DILG) launched in 2011 to improve business licensing processes and make starting a business easier.
As of December 2015, 1,456 out of 1,634 local government units have completed streamlining while a total of 1,403 (92 percent) out of 1,518 were able to comply with BPLS standards based on the submitted quarterly report from DILG Local Government Academy.
These standards include the use of a unified form and the reduction of the number of signatories in the permit to only two: the city mayor or city administrator and/or Business Permits and Licensing Office head.?
Related releases from Manila Times , The Philippine Star, and The Standard.
