Officials of the Pasig City local government and the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) conducted an inspection of the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) in Pasig City on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Pasig City Vice Mayor Robert "Dodot" Jaworski Jr. and other city officials welcomed the ARTA team, led by Secretary and Director General Ernesto Perez, and accompanied them during the inspection.
"Ease of doing business ang ating layunin kasama si Mayor Vico Sotto dahil naniniwala tayo na kapag madali ang pagnenegosyo, madali ring uunlad at aangat ang buhay ng bawat Pasigueño (Ease of doing business is our goal, along with Mayor Vico Sotto, because we believe that each citizen's life will improve and progress if doing business in the city is made easier)," Jaworski said in a social media post.
The vice mayor also reminded sari-sari store owners of the special permits that they can apply for, which may grant them free sanitary permits and health certificates, courtesy of Ordinance 54, series of 2022.
The Pasig local government extended its assessment and payments of business taxes and business permit renewals until Friday, Jan. 27.
On-site inspections by ARTA are mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11032, or "Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018."
According to ARTA, the Compliance Monitoring and Evaluation Office (CMEO) continuously monitors the compliance of local governments and other government agencies on Anti-Red tape and ease of doing business.
Compliance is based on the Citizen's Charter Information Billboard, Citizen's Charter handbook, and Feedback and Complaints Mechanism.
ARTA regularly conducts the inspections during the business registration and renewal seasons, particularly at the beginning of the year.
Last Jan. 19, ARTA Secretary Perez urged local governments to "fast-track the establishment of the electronic BOSS (e-BOSS)" in order to digitize and streamline their processing and licensing systems.
Back in 2020, ARTA and Mayor Sotto signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish an Anti-Red Tape Unit (ARTU). Through the MOU, Pasig became ARTA's first local government partner.
In 2021, ARTA hailed the Pasig local government for its Online Payment Facility, where residents can pay their annual real property tax for 2022.