by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–Aiming to enhance the business environment of the province that would draw more investors here, the Northern Samar provincial government hosted the Ease-of-Doing-Business (EODB) Dialogue with some local government unit (LGU) officials, businessmen, and other stakeholders at the Capitol in Catarman yesterday.
Aside from discussions on the progress of business-related initiatives in the province, also tackled was the LGU’s anti-red tape drive or on how to dismantle the bureaucratic red tape that discourage prospective investors.
John Allen Berbon, head of the Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office (PEDIPO), said the talks zeroed in on the salient features of the national’s Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), including the bottlenecks faced by businessmen in securing permits and licenses.
Berbon, during the start of the event, shared insights into the LGU’s drive to improve the business environment in the province, among which was the Joint Memorandum Circular, signed by the Investment Facilitation Network, designed to further streamline permit and license processes.
Mark DV De Claro, chief of ARTA’s Better Regulations Office, shared during the discussion proper some significant stories on how to streamline licensing procedures, which can earn office commendations, while saving them from regulatory violations.
Lawyer Don Abalon, a Sangguniang Panlalawigan member speaking on behalf of Governor Edwin Ongchuan, lauded the organization of the event, which he said created a platform that addresses concerns on business permits and licensing policies.
Abalon shared his own experience in San Roque town, which implemented anti-red tape processes that became a model for other LGUs.
In the ensuing open dialogue, businessmen were given time to voice out their concerns, and to recommend policy reforms that aptly meet their needs.
The one-day event was in culmination of Northern Samar’s EODB Month Celebration, in which the LGU continues to work together with its municipal counterparts and private stakeholders to ensure that the province sustains efforts to improve the business climate and drive local economic development. —Miriam G. Desacada