In its goal to increase the country’s competitiveness and attractiveness to foreign investors, the Philippine government signed into law the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Act.
The law seeks to make the process of setting up and starting a business in the Philippines easier for investors.
Here are the notable features of the EODB Law.
Key features of the EODB Law
1. Standard processing time for government transactions
All government agencies must follow standard processing times for various transactions, such as applications and requests, as follows:
All applications duly submitted to an agency will be automatically approved if they fail to process the application within the prescribed period.
2. Citizen’s Charter for all government agencies
All concerned government agencies and offices must set up a Citizen’s Charter — a document containing a set of written standards — through their information billboards.
3. Faster processing of business permits and licenses
The EODB Law seeks to fast-track business registration and permit renewals through these efforts:
The law also mandates the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to receive applications online through a Central Business Portal (CBP).
The agency must also maintain and manage the Philippine Business Databank (PBD) to provide concerned offices with access to data and information of registered businesses.
5. Zero-contact policy
Other than the preliminary assessment of the request and submitted requirements, government officers and employees must not have any contact with the applicant. Instead of name, applicants will be identified through a case number and assigned to a government official anonymously.
6. Accountability
Officials and employees who act against the EODB Law may face administrative and criminal liability. Some of the violations include:
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