Guidelines on crafting better regulations launched

MANILA – The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) launched Thursday the Philippine Good Regulatory Principles (PGRP) that will serve as guidelines for regulators to ensure that the policies they will make are efficient and will not just add bureaucratic layers in government offices.

The PGRP is a product of ARTA’s memorandum of understanding with the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the UK Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy signed in February 2020.

During the online launch of the PGRP, ARTA deputy director general Ernesto Perez said the document aims to provide understandable and uncomplicated guidance among regulators in crafting regulations complying with Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

Perez added that the PGRP will provide a flexible and principles-based framework in designing regulatory policies that best suits the needs of businesses and other regulated entities.

The PGRP aims to help the businesses and the regulated entities understand what kind of policies to expect from the regulators.

The code also empowers the regulated parties by allowing them to assess regulators on their policies, which will enable regulators to review their regulations to improve their services to the stakeholders.

“In the ’80s the Philippines is placed in the starter stage of the Regulatory Management System (RMS), placing us alongside with New Zealand and even Singapore. Now after 40 years, we are still at the starter stage,” Perez said.

But Perez is optimistic that the country will leap from the starter stage to the highest ranking, the embedded stage, within this year with the launch of PGRP and other reform programs that will be implemented by the agency.

ARTA’s initiatives in the pipeline include the Regulatory Assessment Impact (RIA) manual, the Philippines Business Regulation Information System, and the Anti-Red Tape Electronics Management System, among others.

Under the 10 PGRP principles regulators, when designing and amending regulations, are expected to do the following:

-- provide clarity in policy rationale, policy objectives/goals, institutional frameworks and support mechanisms;

-- ensure that regulations should have a sound legal and empirical basis to establish a need for new regulation and to only intervene in instances when evidence identifies an issue or a need for intervention;

-- ensure that regulations are will accrue benefits that will justify the least costs, unintended effects, and negative impact to the economy, society, and the environment among others;

-- assess and consider all policy options including non-regulatory interventions through the RIA;

-- ensure and sustain effective and inclusive stakeholder engagement;

-- ensure that regulations should be congruent and consistent with other regulations to achieve policy coherence;

-- working together with other regulators to support regulatory cooperation in all levels and support regular and continuous regular capacity development initiatives;

-- regular review and evaluation of regulations to ensure that policies remain relevant, effective, and keeping pace with the technology;

-- ensure regulations are compatible with competition, trade and investment facilitation principles both at domestic and international levels; and

-- promote Regulatory Risk Management at every stage of the decision-making process.

“It will certainly improve not only our ranking in terms of the Regulatory Management System, it will also improve the Philippines’ environment as a good business environment for investors to consider,” Perez said. (PNA)