Anti-red tape body wants automatic approval of common tower permits after 7 days

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is seeking the automatic approval of applications for common towers within seven working days in line with the government’s aim to bolster the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure in the country.

"We will declare Automatic Approvals of all pending applications beyond [seven] days. Sanguniang or Council approval should no longer be necessary under the new JMC (joint memorandum circular) but if there are previous applications that have not been acted upon within 20 days, that will also be declared by ARTA automatically approved by operation of law," ARTA Director General Jeremiah Belgica said in a statement.

On July 23, the ARTA and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) led the signing of Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 01-2020, along with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Transportation-Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Department of Health-Food and Drug Administration, and Department of Public Works and Highways.

The said government departments and agencies are involved in the permitting process for the telco towers.

Under the JMC, the processing time for permits of telco towers has been cut down to approximately 16 days from an average of eight months across national government agencies (NGAs) and LGUs.

The circular also reduced the number of documentary requirements required from 86 to just 35.

The circular also targets to "drastically streamline" the permitting process in both LGUs and NGAs.

PLDT and Globe have been blaming bureaucratic red tape for the slow deployment of necessary infrastructure to improve connectivity in the country.

The Philippines currently has about 18,000 to 20,000 telco towers serving over 100 million Filipinos.

The Department of Information and Communication Technology early said the country need at least 50,000 to provide better services. — BM, GMA News