Law allowing President to rush permits in nat’l emergency OK’d

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte went back to Manila a day after Christmas to meet selected members of his Cabinet along with infectious disease experts. The emergency meeting, held in Malacañang Palace on December 26,2020, was convened to discuss the emerging fast-spreading new variant of Coronavirus (Covid-19) disease found in the United Kingdom. ALFRED FRIAS/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – A bill was signed into law authorizing President Rodrigo R. Duterte to expedite the processing and issuance of national and local permits, licenses, and certifications in times of national emergency.

Last December 23, Duterte signed Republic Act (R.A.) No. 11517 which covers all agencies of the Executive branch, including departments, bureaus, offices, commissions, boards, councils; government instrumentalities, government-owned and controlled corporations.

Under the law, the President also has the authority to suspend the requirements for national and local permits, licenses, and certifications, and to streamline and expedite the process.

R.A. 11517 also allows the President to accelerate and streamline regulatory processes and procedures for new and pending applications and renewals of permits, licenses, clearances, certifications or authorizations, including fixing or shortening the periods provided for under existing laws, regulations, issuances, and ordinances.

He also has the authority to suspend or waive the requirements in securing such permits, licenses, clearances, certifications, or authorizations.

In consultation with or upon the recommendation of the affected government agencies, the President may also prescribe to be permanent the streamlined regulatory processes and procedures and the suspension or waiver of the requirements in securing permits, licenses, clearances, and certifications or authorizations.

In previous speeches, Duterte has called on national and local government to speed up the processing of permits, licenses, and other documents to prevent delays in transactions.

He has repeatedly called on local governments to take only three days to process necessary papers amid delays in the approval of permits to put up cell towers for telecommunication companies.

As part of efforts to hasten government transactions, Duterte signed laws such as Republic Act 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 which is meant to address the tedious and unnecessary procedures in the delivery of public services.

RA 11032, which supplants RA 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, provides simplified requirements and streamlines procedures in the processing of government documents.

The law mandates government agencies to process simple transactions within three working days, complex transactions within seven working days, and highly-technical transactions in 20 working days.