by Noel A. Baguio
AS the government moves a step closer to being red tape-free, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno asked local government officials to be in earnest about the implementation of Republic Act 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA) of 2007.
Sec. Puno said local officials should actively take part in carrying out the new law, which promotes transparency and timeliness of government transactions.
As the government’s response to the problem on corruption, Puno said the ARTA aims to address and stop lengthy procedures, unreasonable paper requirements and padded fees in dealing with government offices.
“Dapat seryosohin natin ang batas na ito . . . upang hindi tayo malagay sa alanganin pagdating ng panahon (we should be dead serious in implementing the law in order to avoid being sanctioned in the future),” Puno told more than 600 barangay officials of Davao del Norte, adding that stiff penalties will be imposed on those who violate the law.
Puno was the keynote speaker during the recent 2nd Provincial Liga ng mga Barangay Congress held at the Grand Men Seng Hotel in Davao City .
Under the ARTA, processing time for government transactions will now be five days maximum period for ordinary transactions, and ten days for complicated ones.
Puno further gave the regional directors of the DILG another 30 days to closely monitor the compliance of the LGUs in formulating their respective “citizens’ charters” that would guide citizens on how to quickly avail of frontline government services at the community level.
Over half or 60 percent of government offices which complied with ARTA were LGUs from various parts of the country.
Government offices were obliged to draw up a Citizen’s Charter up to September this year, identifying the frontline services offered, the step-by-step procedures, the employee responsible for each step, the amount of fees, the documents to be presented by the client and the procedure for filing complaints in relation to requests and applications.
Puno said portions of the Citizen’s Charter must be posted at strategic or most conspicuous places and in published materials. He also urged agencies to comply with the law’s requirement in setting up public assistance and complaint desks and in cracking down on fixers.
In Davao del Norte, the different frontline offices of the provincial government have already finished designing the citizen’s charter, which will be posted in front of offices after its launching anytime soon.
Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario said it was easy for the province to craft the citizen’s charter because of the reforms in governance that he has instituted. He said the charter merely institutionalized the already existing services in the provincial government, such as the People’s Day every Monday, where the ordinary public can avail of the services of the province in no time at all.
He hailed the ARTA as a milestone in effecting fast, efficient, and corruption-free transactions and services from the LGUs and all the other government agencies.
During the opening of the barangay congress, the governor asked the local officials to continue supporting the programs of the provincial government, particularly the Project NoBLe (No Barangay Left Behind).
Sec. Puno also asked the local officials to support the government’s massive crackdown against loose firearms, following a one-month gun amnesty program that would be implemented starting October this year, as part of the government’s effort to maintain peace and order.
The cabinet official revealed there are 1,150,000 loose firearms all over the country, most of which were with expired licenses. He warned owners of loose firearms who fail to avail themselves of the new program that they could go to jail after the amnesty period.
From the forum of DavNor barangay officials, Puno breezed through the Joint Vice Mayor’s League of the Philippines (VMLP) – Philippine Councilor’s League (PCL) regional convention at the Waterfront Hotel.
Upon his arrival earlier on, Puno announced in a press briefing at the VIP lounge of the Davao International Airport that all municipalities should have women and children protection desks (WCPDs) and centers headed by, and staffed with, female police officers. WCPDs offer a more relaxed setting to victims of violence and abuse against women and children seeking help from the police.
