A high-ranking official of technology company Grab Philippines on Friday questioned the tough requirements of the government in order for a car owner entrepreneur to get onboard its transportation network vehicle system or TNVS.

In a forum dubbed "From Tech for Growth to Tech for Good: Unlocking Quality Digital Economy Growth in the Philippines" organized by the think tanks Tech for Good Institute and the Asian Institute of Management Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness, Grace Vera Cruz, the country head of Grab Philippines, stated that one of their venture capitalists is calling out the ease of doing business in the country, questioning why it is so hard to do business in the country, particularly where it concerns the number of  requirements that need to be complied with.

Bank account

"To be able to have a Grab Car, a driver or an entrepreneur must have a bank account. They must publish in a newspaper the fact that they are bringing in a TNVS. They also must get a certificate of conformity from the banks to prove that their car is legal for public use. None of these are required for a TNVS in other countries," she said.

The Bank COC or Certificate of Conformity is one of the important requirements of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to obtain a TNVS certificate of public convenience or franchise.

However, applicants for TNVS are only required to get such documents if their car is still on loan from a bank or any financing institution (like Toyota Financial).

The Bank COC is the proof from the bank or financial institution indicating agreement that the applicant may use their loaned vehicle for TNVS.

Taxes

Further, Vera Cruz also questioned several taxes that investors have to pay, namely government and local government taxes.

Meanwhile, panelists John Rubio, the country director of Meta Philippines, and Prim Paypon, executive director of AIM-Dado Banatao Incubator, are united in calling out the government to improve the country's connectivity, and the ease of doing business as well.

"The challenge is really connectivity, as 80 percent of households don't have a stable Internet connection. We should also include the good synergy between the private sector and the government when it comes to digitalization. I think if the government has digitized most of its services, it will be more transparent and more effective in addressing the needs of the public," Paypon said.

Modernizing 'analog' legislation

For the side of the government, Senator Grace Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, has sought the support of stakeholders to help the government, which she called digital immigrants, in modernizing their "analog" legislation in building a legal firewall that would not strangle innovation.

"We recently amended the Public Service Act, thereby opening the economy to more players. We are planning to add updates, first is the Open Access on Internet Act which will simplify the registration process for Internet Service Providers; the Better Internet Act, which seeks to set a minimum standard for Internet connection, as well as require ISPs to expand to underserved areas; and the E-Government Services Act, which mandate the use of information and communications technology to enhance the delivery of government services, and lastly the Critical Information Infrastructure Protection that will provide the framework to ensure the security and reliability of the country's digital ecosystem," according to Poe.