In its dedication to providing the best service in promoting ease of doing business in the country, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) was commended by the Anti-Red Tape Authority and bagged 11 awards in ARTA’s Report Card Survey.

The 11 commendations were bestowed last 30 October at the Conrad Hotel.

“We are proud of this achievement which shows how reliable and dedicated every member of PEZA is in providing the best service to all its stakeholders. PEZA is a lean and mean organization where one PEZA employee caters to at least seven locator companies and we assure all our stakeholders that we will further our initiatives towards improving the overall business environment in the ecozones,” PEZA director general Tereso Panga said.

Non-stop service

“We are able to hand-hold and take good care of our investors through our one-stop shop facility — where all their business and building permits, including work visas, can be issued alone by PEZA. We also offer a non-stop service as we provide 24x7 facilitation of import & export shipments in the ecozones. We remain true to our mantra of no red tape, only red-carpet treatment to our investors, which we have been implementing since day 1,” he added.

The ARTA RCS Awards were given to government agencies “which successfully implemented the RCS 2.0 and performed excellently during the audit conducted by ARTA for the 1st cycle/1st phase implementation in 2023.”

As mandated by Republic Act 11302 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, the RCS 2.0 assesses the efficiency and delivery of government services in the Philippines.

Ease of doing business

This year, 12 PEZA offices were inspected and 11, including the Head Office and 10 zone offices nationwide, were recognized for their exemplary implementation of various ease of doing business measures as determined by the Report Card Survey (RCS).

The RCS is anchored on the following aspects of government service: (1) service delivery; (2) communications; (3) access and facilities; and, (4) payment and processes.

Two PEZA zone offices were given a Very Satisfactory rating, which reflects strong client satisfaction and adherence to streamlined procedures, responsive service and an overall commitment to improving government processes.

The First Philippine Industrial Park, under Zone Manager Allan P. Datahan, and the Mactan Economic Zone II, headed by Zone Manager Atty. Rufino Ranulfo V. San Juan IV, bagged Silver Awards for achieving a Very Satisfactory Rating of 94.65 percent and 92.87 percent respectively in the 2023 RCS 2.0.

Gold

Meanwhile, the PEZA Head Office and seven PEZA offices brought home Gold for their ease of doing business implementation within their jurisdiction, achieving an Excellent rating in the 2023 RCS 2.0.

The rating signifies that the institution consistently meets and exceeds standards in service delivery, transparency and efficiency, demonstrating a strong commitment to reducing bureaucratic delays and improving the ease of accessing government services.

‘We are proud of this achievement which shows how reliable and dedicated every member of PEZA is in providing the best service to all its stakeholders. PEZA is a lean and mean organization where one PEZA employee caters to at least seven locator companies and we assure all our stakeholders that we will further our initiatives towards improving the overall business environment in the ecozones.’

Out of 194 GOCCs surveyed, the PEZA zone office at the Anflo Industrial Estate headed by Acting Zone Manager Lulette Sanchez landed on the Top 3 spot and was recognized for its remarkable implementation of ease of doing business measures in the zone.

Overall, PEZA was recognized by ARTA as the third Top Performing GOCC — Gold Award for garnering a score of 99.04 percent in its overall RCS 2.0 rating, particularly for its Davao office.