The public should assert their right to transparent and efficient government service when doing transactions especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said.
ARTA Director-General Jeremiah Belgica made the statement as government agencies are set to submit their revised Citizen's Charter to the agency on July 25.
In a statement, Belgica said the public should demand transparency and accountability through a properly-implemented Citizen’s Charter, an official document that details the information on the services provided by the government to its citizens.
He described a Citizen's Charter as the agencies' "social contract" with the people.
"A Citizen’s Charter is required of every government office, big or small, because it reflects all the services being offered, fees to be paid, requirements needed to be submitted and most of all the processing times per services," Belgica said.
"This must be posted in the most prominent place in the entrance of every office so the people may hold the agency to those standards as listed in the Citizen’s Charter," he added.
More than serving as a basis for the recognition of performance, the Citizen’s Charter is the basis for establishing accountability in the delivery of government service as stated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Ease of Doing Business Act signed last year.
Government agencies are required to place a Citizen's Charter at the main entrance or at the most conspicuous or visible place in a government office. This shall be in the form of information billboards that is easily understood by the public.
When transacting with government agencies, the public is urged to look out for the following information on the Citizen’s Charter:
- A comprehensive and uniform checklist of requirements for each type of application or request
- A step-by-step procedure in obtaining a particular service
- Person/s responsible for each step
- Maximum time to conclude the process
- The document/s to be presented by the pubic
- Amount of fees and where the payment shall be made
- Procedure for filing complaints
For the looming July 25 deadline for their revised Citizen’s Charter, government agencies are required to make old and new processes and services that are being adopted in consideration of the declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency be reflected in their respective Citizen’s Charter.