President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. has appointed lawyer Ernesto V. Perez as Secretary of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), Malacañang announced on 14 November.

Perez succeeds lawyer Jeremiah Belgica who served from July 2019 to June 2022.

Prior to his new post, Perez was ARTA Deputy Director General for Operations in 2019 and concurrent Officer-in-Charge since June 2022 under the Office of the President's Memorandum Circular No. 3.

Perez was incidentally ARTA's first-ever employee, appointed on 1 December 2018.

"This appointment is really providential, as it would allow us to further continue what we have always aspired for from the very start, that is, to remove red tape and increase the ease of doing business, ultimately benefiting the economy and the people," Perez said.

Prior to his appointment to ARTA, he was a practicing lawyer and certified public accountant.

He then served as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry Consumer Protection Group from 6 January 2017 to 30 November 2018.

He concurrently served as chairman of the DTI-Steel Task Force, where he led the investigation of the biggest steel importation in the country. He likewise served as OIC-Director of the Bureau of Philippine Standards.