Anti-Red Tape Authority Director General Jeremiah Belgica (File photo)
MANILA – Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Director-General Jeremiah Belgica on Wednesday welcomed Executive Order (EO) 129 creating the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Streamlining of Government Processes (OPASGP).
Belgica said the creation of OPASGP is not a redundancy of ARTA’s function, but it will strengthen the government’s effort to cut red tape and fast-track streamlining of processes in government agencies.
On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte signed EO 129 and appointed former Cabinet secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. as the Presidential Adviser on Streamlining of Government Processes.
In a radio interview, Belgica said both ARTA and the OPASGP will directly report to Duterte.
He said there will be no additional layer between ARTA and the Office of the President with the creation of the OPASGP.
ARTA has been part of the drafting of EO 129, he added.
“The EO basically says the adviser’s role is to advise. So that will be the function of the office of Secretary Jun (Evasco),” Belgica said in Filipino. “What is clear is that we will work as a team.”
Belgica said among the projects and programs that his agency and the OPASGP will work on together include monitoring of processes related to the government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response and the automation and streamlining of local government units (LGUs).
ARTA launched Tuesday a joint memorandum circular establishing the guidelines for electronic business one-stop shop (e-BOSS) in LGUs.
“With Secretary Evasco now on board, our reform train against red tape, we are confident that all our efforts will not go to waste as he will surely facilitate in shepherding and coordinating them straight to the President being a longtime confidant of the Chief Executive,” Belgica added. (PNA)
