The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) and the Office of the Ombudsman have agreed on their mandates and vowed to strengthen collaboration.
This developed after Senate President Juan Miguel F. Zubiri met the two heads ARTA Director General Ernesto V. Perez and Ombudsman Samuel Martires for a dialogue in his office Tuesday, Nov. 15.
The three officials discussed the harmonization of the mandates of two agencies and agree to strengthen collaboration.
In his first day as chief of ARTA, Secretary Perez discussed with Ombudsman Martires possible areas of collaboration, in particular, pushing for bureaucratic efficiency.
Bureaucratic efficiency is one of the identified priorities of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos, Jr.’s 8-point socieconomic agenda. It aims to streamline government processes and its services and increase global competitiveness.
During the meeting, Martires, a retired Supreme Court justice, shared his experiences in public service and his office's reforms and ways forward.
For his part, Perez talked about ARTA's programs and initiatives including those he had started as its Deputy Director General for Operations.
Zubiri then expressed his full support for both offices and encouraged both leaders for closer collaboration for a more effective delivery of government services.
"We value the wisdom of Senate President Zubiri because, as the father of ARTA, he knows the intention of the Ease of Doing Business Law. We are also grateful for Ombudsman Martires' support and willingness to work with ARTA," the ARTA chief stated.
Zubiri was the primary sponsor of the Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 which created the ARTA.