The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said it has successfully prosecuted eight red tape cases for this year alone, with five of these cases coming from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

In a media forum, ARTA director-general Secretary Ernesto Perez said the conviction of the said cases proves that ARTA is serious in quelling anomalous transactions within government offices.

"Gusto lang naman natin talaga sampolan. Alam naman ninyo kami sa gobyerno, ayaw namin ng demanda. Ayaw namin (We want to set an example. You know that we in government don't want to press charges. We don't want) to be facing charges before the Civil Service Commission, before the Office of the Ombudsman, before any regular court.

"So, we would like to send that strong signal. So that is why in the last two years we have conducted entrapment operations. Karamihan dito (Most are from the) Land Transportation [Office], he added.

According to Perez, five of the red tape cases that they have successfully prosecuted were from the LTO, one from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), one from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and another from an undisclosed local government unit.

Despite this, the ARTA official recognized the reforms that LTO has implemented to improve its services whether online or walk-in services.

"Nag-improve na rin iyong kanilang services, fully digitalized na rin sila. Kapag kayo ay mag-apply ng inyong lisensiya (They have improved ther services, they are fully digitalized. When you apply for your driver's license), you can get it in a matter of minutes," Perez said.

"If you walk-in, ganoon din mabilis (It's also quick for walk-in applications), half-day you can get it," he added.

Meanwhile, Perez hoped that government agencies would realize that ARTA is only doing its job.

"ARTA is very serious in this matter— to streamlining and improving our government processes. It is the advantage of our people to give them the strong signal that there is an agency that is looking at their performance, that there is this agency that is serious about implementing the law, that is conducting entrapment operations na para mahuli iyong mga fixer (to catch fixers)," he said.

"So ganoon din po sa LTO. Alam natin na hindi na ninyo kailangan mag-approach ng fixer kasi mabilis lang mag-renew ng driver’s license, mabilis na rin kumuha ng registration para sa  inyong sasakyan (It's the same with the LTO. We know that you don't need fixers anymore because the process of renewing your driver's license and getting your vehicle's registration is fast)," he added..

Perez encouraged the public to file complaints with ARTA against erring officials.

"Let us know so that we can be of help," he said.