The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is currently in the first phase of developing the Philippine Business Regulations Information System (PBRIS), which is aimed at improving the regulation management for both public and private sectors.

Arta Deputy Director General Ernesto V. Perez said in a webinar on Monday that the agency is crafting the PBRIS with the help of the University of the Philippines Public Administration Research and Extension Services Foundation Inc. (UPPAF).

It is a web-based platform wherein information about the Philippine Regulatory Management System laws and regulations relevant to the public may be accessed.

The anti-red tape watchdog has so far identified over 20 participating agencies for the said project, including the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Securities and Exchange Commission, Social Security System and Philippine Statistics Authority.

"Ultimately, the objective is to interconnect the government agencies and the regulations should be harmonized and aligned with other agencies," he explained.

Among the functionalities that are undergoing development are uploading of structured existing regulations; and uploading and processing of structured proposed regulations and regulatory impact assessment.

The platform, in relation to this, will notify the users on the proposed and existing regulation through their registered accounts. In addition, the registered account users will also be allowed to comment on proposed and existing regulations through consultations.

PBRIS will also feature tagging and categorization of regulations per sector, case-use and locality, Perez said.

Meanwhile, the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) pilot implementation is also in the first phase this year. It is conducted through RIA manual, good regulatory practices (GRP) and training modules.

Perez said that Arta developed the RIA manual and training modules with the UPPAF and Center for Policy and Executive Development from 2019 until this year. These, along with GRP, are aimed to be finalized before the year ends.

"For its [RIA] initial implementation, a simplified methodology will be utilized for selected government agencies. The methodology and scope will be gradually expanded as Arta and government agencies are capacitated and become experienced in the conduct of RIA," the Arta official said.

Last month, the ARTA launched the Philippine Good Regulatory Principles (PGRP), which is a regulatory management code for the government agencies to follow in a bid to further streamline processes.

It seeks to serve as a "guide for regulators to provide policies, procedures, organizational values, behavioral and service standards expected of them [to enable]…businesses and other regulated entities to understand what they should expect from those who regulate them," Perez explained.

In finalizing the PGRP, the Arta worked with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; and the UK Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All the parties signed a memorandum of understanding in February last year.

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