Office: Red Tape Bill Already a Law

Why push a bill that is already a law?

On this note, the office of Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said there is no more need to push the passage of an anti-red tape bill that had not only been signed into law, but is already being implemented since last year.

"As early as June 2, 2007, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9485, or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, into law. Senator Lacson was the author and sponsor of that measure, being the acting chair of the Senate Civil Service and Government Reorganization Committee at the time," said lawyer Cesar Salazar, Lacson's chief legislative officer.

The Office of Sen. Lacson said the measure should ease up and accelerate government transactions in government agencies, both at the national and local levels.

It added the anti-red tape measure should also address problems hounding the ease of doing business in the Philippines.

RA 9485 requires government offices to adopt fixed deadlines to complete transactions, and regularly assess and upgrade their frontline services.

It provides a five-day deadline for the completion of simple transactions, and a 10-day deadline for the completion of complex transactions that require background checks.

While the law deems as approved transactions that are not acted upon, it penalizes heads of departments or offices who allow such transactions to lapse.

The law also limits the number of signatories to five, in contrast to past transactions that would have required more than 20 signatures.

Government offices must set up information billboards and public assistance desks, and frontline agencies will be subject to a report card survey by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

The law also provides immunity to whistleblowers to encourage them to expose corruption in the bureaucracy.

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