DTI targets top 20 in ease of doing business ranking by 2022

The Philippines should make it to the top 20 in terms of ease of doing business by 2022, the Department of Trade and Industry chief said on Tuesday.

“You know, and tina-target talaga natin na top 20 by 2022, something like that. Kasi right now, we’re ranked 99,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez told reporters after a briefing in Malacañang.

“That’s the reason why we would like to embark on this project in discussion right now, which we will launch soon, that we will really try to automate everything after streamlining the procedure and making registration easy even from mobile phones, especially for millennials who are getting into business,” he said.

Lopez previously hoped that the Philippines would land in 58th place in the World Bank-International Finance Corporation Doing Business 2017 report.

“Iyong forthcoming, wala na tayong masyadong magagawa doon. May kaunting improvement as I mentioned. Tignan natin kung saan talaga tayo magla-land,” he said.

During the briefing, Lopez touted that the DTI had shortened process of securing business permits from 10 days to two to three days.

“Simplification of form, reducing the number of signatories down to two. The form is, I think, two pages as well – very simplified. So what we intend to do now, we are automating that and we wanna make it really less than one day approval system,” he said.

We’ve done a lot also when it comes to ease of doing business, and that’s also another exciting area. Actually, I just came from a meeting that will really leapfrog the kind of ease of doing business we have here, especially when it comes to getting business permits and licenses. You know, the first step in starting a business.

Lopez said that the Philippines had been getting help from New Zealand in how to improve ease of doing business in the country.

“Number one is New Zealand. And we have a project ongoing with New Zealand. They’re helping us with the technical assistance that will help us really improve our rank in the ease of doing business,” he said.

“And more than the ranking, it’s really our service to really improve that service and help all those wanting to get into business,” he added. — VDS/KVD, GMA News