LACSON OFFICE: RED TAPE BILL ALREADY A LAW

Why push a bill that is already a law?

On this note, the office of Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said there is no
more need to push the passage of an anti-red tape bill that had not
only been signed into law, but is already being implemented since last
year.

"As early as June 2, 2007, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
signed Republic Act 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, into law.
Senator Lacson was the author and sponsor of that measure, being the
acting chair of the Senate Civil Service and Government Reorganization
Committee at the time," said lawyer Cesar Salazar, Lacson's chief
legislative officer.

The Office of Sen. Lacson said the measure should ease up and
accelerate government transactions in government agencies, both at the
national and local levels.

It added the anti-red tape measure should also address problems
hounding the ease of doing business in the Philippines.

RA 9485 requires government offices to adopt fixed deadlines to
complete transactions, and regularly assess and upgrade their
frontline services.

It provides a five-day deadline for the completion of simple
transactions, and a 10-day deadline for the completion of complex
transactions that require background checks.

While the law deems as approved transactions that are not acted upon,
it penalizes heads of departments or offices who allow such
transactions to lapse.

The law also limits the number of signatories to five, in contrast to
past transactions that would have required more than 20 signatures.

Government offices must set up information billboards and public
assistance desks, and frontline agencies will be subject to a report
card survey by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The law also provides immunity to whistleblowers to encourage them to
expose corruption in the bureaucracy.