LUNGSOD QUEZON, PILIPINAS-KASABAY kauna unahang kapihan ng Anti Red Tape Authority (ARTA) para sa media nagkaroon rin ng inspeksyon sa pamahalaang lokal ng lungsod na ito patungkol sa kanilang compliance na I fully digitize ang kanilang services sa city hall.

Ang nasabing okasyon ay face-to face at virtual via zoom,  sa Launching of Kapihan sa ARTA, ito ay ginanap dakong 10:00 AM hanggang 12:00 NN nitong  June 17, 2021, Thursday kung saan naitanong ng www.diaryongtagalog.net kung sa region 3 or mga lungsod sa Bulacan (Meyycauayan, Malolos at San Jose Del Monte) ay nakapag comply na sapagkat kasabay rin ng nasabing aktibidad ay ang deadline para sa kanilang compliance.

Pahayag naman ni Sec. Jeremiah B. Belgica may mga LGU na nauna nang nakapag comply gaya ng Valenzuela City. Samantalang naitanong naman ng www.dzmjonline.net ang tungkol sa mga scholars ng Bulacan na hinidi nababaan ng pondo ng Commission on Higher Education.

Ginanap ang nasabing pulong balitaan sa bagong tanggapan ng ARTA sa 5th Floor, NFA Building, NFA Compound, Visayas Avenue, Brgy. Vasra, Diliman, Quezon City kung saan nakibahagi sina ARTA Director General,    Sec. Jeremiah B. Belgica, REB, EnP;  Usec. Ernesto V. Perez, CPA;  Usec. BGen. Carlos Quita (Ret.);  at Usec. Eduardo Bringas, CDS.

Kaalinsabay rin nito ang ginawang  Reporting of milestones on key programs and projects of ARTA.//Michael Balaguer, 09262261791, konekted@diaryongtagalog.net, michaelbalaguer@yahoo.co.uk

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 ARTA, PSA, religious sects to discuss concerns in requirements for certification of registration of authority to solemnize marriage

17 July 2021 – Secretary Jeremiah Belgica, Director General of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), sought for a meeting with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and religious sects to discuss concerns in the process and requirements for securing a Certification of Authority to Solemnize Marriage (CRASM).

During a meeting with PSA and other agencies on 15 July 2021, Belgica questioned one of the requirements for the said certification, which is a list of 200 bonafide active members including their complete address and signatures.

The Anti-Red Tape czar said the requirement can also be seen as discriminatory as there are a lot of home churches nowadays.

“What is the basis of the 200 membership? What if the ministry is a starting ministry or organization?” he said. “Ang mangyayari diyan ay mapipilitan silang magpapirma ng 200 something church members.”

Atty. Ira Paulo Ayo Pozon, who was present during the meeting, echoed Belgica’s sentiments and called the requirement an “ancient rule.”

“Huwag natin i-overregulate,” he said. “I should not have to give the data of my members just so I can solemnize the marriage.”

Belgica, who is also a pastor, shared his experience of going back and forth with the PSA for a year and a half before acquiring his certification to solemnize marriage.

“Kahit ang Panginoong Hesus hindi papasa sa requirements ninyo (PSA) kasi nagsimula siya sa labing dalawang disipulo lang,” he said.

Director Ben Canela of the Office of the Presidential Adviser for Religious Affairs (OPARA) also attested to the difficulty of obtaining the certification even when the church is already registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Belgica said they will also tap SEC to share their processes.

The ARTA chief also said that they may request for a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) on the requirements for the Certification of Registration of Authority to Solemnize Marriage.

“I think there is really something that should be fundamentally aligned… it’s important for us to address these pain points,” Belgica said.

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ARTA lauds SEC for courier service, online access for documents

13 July 2020 – The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) lauded the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for offering courier services and making their services available online so clients no longer have to go to their office.

SECEA-LISTO, SEC’s in-house courier services, was established to reduce physical contact amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The service allows clients to deliver and pick up their applications and certificates.

Clients can also book their own couriers using delivery service apps like Grab and Lalamove.

During his inspection on 8 July 2021, Secretary Jeremiah Belgica, ARTA Director General, recommended that SEC should post about their courier services on their website and official social media accounts so more people will know about it.

The SEC has also launched its online submission tool (OST) that clients can use to submit their general information sheets, audited online payments, and other documents.

Each person who will file documents using the OST will be issued a unique QR code as proof of acceptance.

In September, the SEC will also launch its online search portal that the public can use to search financial documents online and print them out.

Belgica commended these moves and said they will be of great contribution to ARTA’s campaign to improve the country’s ease of doing business.

“Ang goal talaga namin is less than a day ang business registration, end-to-end,” he said.

“Mukhang nandoon na ‘yon, konting tulak nalang and kita natin, nakikita na natin ang liwanag,” he added.

The ARTA chief called on the SEC to honor digital signatures, which he said are secure and traceable, to further boost the ease of doing business.

He also told SEC to consider releasing the registration number to those registering their businesses even without their business name yet as to not hamper the processes they are undergoing.

Undersecretary Ali Atienza of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) was also present during ARTA’s inspection at SEC.

Atty. Emilio Aquino, CPA, SEC CEO and Chairman, echoed ARTA’s call for the streamlining and automation of government systems.

“This pandemic really required us to accelerate our IT initiatives. Wala ng face-to-face, iniiwasan natin, and while we cannot do it immediately that fast… we were able to automate,” he said.

Gerardo F. Del Rosario, SEC Director for Company Registration and Monitoring Department, thanked the Authority for its comments for the improvement of their systems.

“Malaking karangalan po ang inspection,” he said. “Nakikita ano ang pagkukulang namin and ano ‘yung mga dapat naming ma-improve.”

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