Anti-red tape body seeks 2020 budget hike

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is asking for a budget increase under its 2020 operations to execute its mandate to cut the bureaucratic red tape consistent with the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Law.

ARTA Director-General Jeremiah Belgica said they already sent a request for an additional P20 million budget, on top of the P72 million allocated for them.

“The budget deliberation is not yet done but we were (initially) approved P72 million. But there is a pending request for us to augment that budget by P20 million,” Belgica told the Daily Tribune.

“In addition to that, we are also requesting to activate the balance that have not been released to us yet from the P300 million earmarked (for the agency) since we started. That’s about P190 million.”

Belgica said the augmentation will be for operating expenses covering frontline services, training and payroll.

The increase would also allow them to keep its legal and technical team as well as improve its frontline services and anti-red tape measures.

For 2020, the anti-red tape czar said they particularly want to expand their regional operations.

“In our regional offices, we are allowed (to have) seven personnel. We have the budget for that. However, the budget for our office operations and expansions is not enough,” Belgica said.

According to the law, ARTA is allowed to deputize the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) regional offices to also function as its regional offices.

Last week, Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza asked Congress to ensure the law that created ARTA will be fully funded.

Daza, who is also the vice-chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations, said the ARTA needs at least P300 million as initial funding.

The ARTA initially operated with the budget of P110 million from the DTI coffers last year. Its budget next year is P118 million short.

The ARTA is in charge of receiving complaints of bureaucratic red tape and acting on them following the EODB provisions.