Starting a business in the country can become easier and faster with the launching of online platforms providing mapping of all government services and business regulations.

The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has launched the first phase of the Anti-Red Tape Electronic Management Information System (ARTEMIS) and the Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS).

ARTA Deputy Director General for Operations Undersecretary Ernesto Perez said the PBRIS provides those intending to start a business a platform listing all regulations they need to undergo.

“Just click on his computer (when) he would like to find out what are the regulations involved when he intends, for instance, to engage in the business of food,” he said. “And the user will also have information as to whether the regulation is updated or not, or is in harmony with other regulations.”

The ARTEMIS, on the other hand, serves as a tool for the ARTA to monitor the compliance of government agencies in posting and updating their Citizen’s Charter which is mandated by Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Act of 2018.

“The Citizen’s Charter provides the service level agreement between the government and the transacting public in availing services being offered by the government offices. It is against the law to require anything beyond what is stipulated and go beyond the processing periods and time specified in the Citizen’s Charter,” ARTA Director

General Jeremiah Belgica said.

Belgica said the two systems will address the problem of inaccessible Citizen’s Charters and regulations and help in delivering faster services to the public.

Mario Lamberte, team leader of the University of the Philippines Public Administration Research and Extension Services Foundation Inc.-Regulatory Support Program for National Development (UPPAF-RESPOND), said much of the corruption originates from personal interaction between regulators and the clients.

“So with the PBRIS and ARTEMIS, that interaction is starting to (be) reduced to zero and also the transaction costs would be reduced,” he said.

The two online systems were developed with the assistance of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the UPPAF-RESPOND.

Perez said the agency is prioritizing government agencies under the National Effort for the Harmonization of Efficient Measures of Inter-related Agencies (NEHEMIA) which include agencies from the sectors of food and pharmaceutical, logistics, socialized housing, energy, and telecommunications.

“Of course we expand that as we go through but within the year, our intention is to pilot test the systems which we are launching this year to cover all those priority agencies,” he said.

Perez said it targets to onboard all government agencies, local government units, and other government instrumentalities on the two systems by next year.

He said the agency has already commenced the planning and development of the Phase 2 features of both the PBRIS and ARTEMIS platforms.

“We expect to finish all the required activities, including the user acceptance testing, within the fourth quarter of 2021. And finally, we look forward to the full systems launch to be held this coming December. We still have a number of comprehensive features in line for Phase 2 so watch out,” he added.

The ARTEMIS can be accessed at citizenscharter.gov.ph while PBRIS at www.regulations.gov.ph.