The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is closely collaborating with concerned government agencies to streamline the processing of foreign donations by non-government organizations (NGOs) and release these relief goods within three days from 14 working days, especially during calamities.
ARTA Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Ernesto V. Perez said the agency is closing coordinating with the Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin T. Tulfo to streamline the process for the issuance of Duty-Exempt Importation (DEI) Certification for foreign donations.
The DEI certification is the requirement of the DWSD – Standards Bureau for non-government organizations (NGOs) to be able to provide aide and relief services to various sectors in the country.
The new process will significantly reduce the documentary requirements to just three which will be assessed within seven working days. The application will be further shortened to three working days in a state of calamity.
Currently, the issuance of the certification requires nine documents and a processing time of 14 working days.
“The government is working together to serve the people who is in dire need of speedy services. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has made it clear that Filipinos should not be made to wait especially in times of calamities,” Perez said.
He also urged the concerned agencies to work together in the crafting of a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) that will harmonize the end-to-end processing of foreign donations.
“Through the whole-of-government approach, the JMC will make way for the establishment of a green lane which will facilitate the expedited processing of the DEI and release from the Bureau of Customs (BOC). This to ensure that donors will not have to go different government agencies anymore,” he further stated.
The drafting and finalization of the JMC will be spearheaded by ARTA in collaboration with the DSWD, BOC, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Finance, Department of Health, and Office of Civil Defense.
ARTA is still left to host a series of meetings with the aforementioned agencies and key stakeholders to thresh out the regulatory burdens in the processing and delivery of foreign donations.