Central Luzon BPLOs Gather to Draft Action Agenda for BPLS

Business Permits and Licensing Officers (BPLOs) from local government units (LGUs) in the Central Luzon region gathered in a Capacity Building organized by the National Competitiveness Council (NCC) in a bid to draft an action plan to resolve issues in the implementation of the DILG-DTI-DICT Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) 2016-01 or the Revised Standards in Processing Business Permits and Licenses in All Cities and Municipalities.

The JMC, which was issued on August 2016 by the Secretaries of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), enjoins all LGUs to further streamline the issuance of business permits, specifically on the processing time and number of steps. It also introduced complementary reforms such as automation and establishment of a business one-stop shop (BOSS) to speed up the issuance process.

As of the 2nd quarter of the year, DILG Region 3 reported that 93% or 120 out of 130 Central Luzon LGUs are already compliant to the JMC 2016 standards.

With the aim of gathering issues of the LGUs in the implementation of the JMC 2016 and assessing the level of understanding of the Business Permits and Licensing System (BPLS) teams on JMC 2016, the Capacity Building Program was held on August 31, 2017 at the Widus Convention Center in Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.

The most common issue raised by the BPLOs during the workshop is the lack of manpower complement from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to man the LGU’s BOSS and to comply with the complementary reform on co-location. Setting up of BOSS and co-location aims facilitate the business process and implement one-time assessment and payment which would greatly reduce the number of steps that an applicant takes to register a business.

Some of the LGUs also cited lack of financial capacity to automate their BPLS process and BFP’s longer processing time in issuing the Fire Safety Inspection Certificate or FSIC which is a requirement in the issuance of a business permit.

In response to the issues raised, the BPLOs drafted a 5-year action agenda for BPLS to support the implementation of the JMC 2016 standards. Part of the agenda is to lobby for the creation of BPLO as a department in LGUs and clarify the role of BPLOs in assessing business permit fees. The action plan was submitted to NCC for their reference in policy improvement and possible revisions in the implementing rules of the circular.

Adding to their resolve to improve the ease of doing business in their respective areas, majority of the BPLOs also joined the National Association of BPLOs (NABPLO), a recognized organization composed of BPLOs from all over the country. NABPLO’s main goal is to be the national government’s partner in instituting reforms in governance as well as in fostering economic growth and countryside development. NABPLO officer and Marikina City BPLO Atty. Nancy Teylan administered the oath-taking of prospective members and presented their LGU’s best practices in the implementation of the JMC 2016 standards.

The activity was attended by 160 participants coming from various cities and municipalities in the region. It was part of a 2-day road show organized by NCC in different parts of the country to advocate the improvement of the ease of doing business in the country. The road show also highlighted the presentation of the country’s recent performance in the global competitiveness rankings.