MALACAÑAN PALACE
MANILA
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES
[ ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 241, October 02, 2008 ]
MANDATING THE SPEEDY IMPLEMENTATION OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9485 OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "ANTI-RED TAPE ACT OF 2007" AND ITS IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS AND STRENGTHENING THE APPLICATION THEREOF
WHEREAS, the Office of the President (OP) Memorandum Circular No. 35 dated March 17, 2003 directed all government agencies, including government-owned and controlled corporations, to implement the publication of service guides and the posting of workflow charts in compliance with Republic Act No. (RA) 6713;
WHEREAS, Administrative Order No. 161 dated October 5, 2006, as amended by Executive Order No. 605 dated February 23, 2007, enjoined the implementation of a government-wide Quality Management Program which mandated, among others, the streamlining of services and the establishment of citizen's charters;
WHEREAS, RA 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, took effect on September 5, 2008 following the issuance of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) by the Civil Service Commission under the CSC Resolution No. 081471 dated July 24, 2008;
WHEREAS, Section 6 of RA 9485 provides that all government agencies including departments, bureaus, offices, instrumentalities, or government-owned and/or controlled corporations, or local government or district units shall set up their respective standards to be known as the Citizen's Charter within one year after the effectivity of said law;
WHEREAS, Section 7 of the same law provides that the implementation of RA 9485 shall be the primary responsibility and accountability of the head of office or agency;
WHEREAS, Section 1, Rule VI of the IRR of RA 9485 provides that all offices and agencies are enjoined to undertake on a continuing basis programs to promote customer satisfaction and improve service delivery, and other similar activities for officers and employees in frontline services;
WHEREAS, there is a need to expedite the implementation of the abovementioned provisions for the effective realization of the State's policy of work to fix the corruption that has, unfortunately, long plagued our nation;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
Section 1. STREAMLINING AND POSTING OF PROCEDURES. All departments, bureaus, offices and instrumentalities of the government, including government financial institutions and government-owned and controlled corporations, hereinafter referred to as "agencies," shall streamline and post the procedures for the twenty (20) most heavily utilized processes or services not later than December 31, 2009.
The posted procedures shall include the information prescribed in Section 1, Rule IV of the IRR of RA 9485 and such other relevant data, instructions and materials which the concerned agency deems proper for information of its clientele and the public in general.
Section 2. PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND COMPLAINTS DESKS AND HOTLINES. All agencies shall establish in their respective offices a public assistance and complaints desk and provide the public hotline number/s which should be purposely set up to effectively receive feedback and monitor customer satisfaction in conformity with Rule VI of the IRR of RA 9485 not later than December 31, 2009.
All agencies shall develop a scheme within its office to ensure that the public assistance desk/complaints desk shall be attended to at all times and the hotline number/s shall be accessible to the public.
Agencies are mandated to interconnect their current and future public assistance systems with the government-wide citizen's helpline once the same is established.
Section 3. CAMPAIGN AGAINST FIXERS. All agencies shall mount a campaign that will set up a system to eliminate fixing activity in their place of work and commence legal proceedings against fixers such as the filing and prosecution of criminal and/or administrative cases not later than March 31, 2009.
Section 4. COLLABORATION WITH THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY OF THE PHILIPPINES AND CLIENTELE. Agencies shall work with the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), and the agencies' respective clientele in streamlining procedures and eradicating fixers.
For streamlining of local government services, the Department of the Interior and Local Government shall assign its field staff to serve as anti-red tape facilitators in discussions with the CSC and the clientele of local government units (LGUs) in their respective areas.
Section 5. INSTITUTION OF A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM BASED ON OUTPUT. Agencies shall institute a Performance Evaluation System based on objectively measured output and performance of personnel and units, such as the Performance Management System-Office Performance Evaluation System developed by the CSC.
Section 6. REPORT OF COMPLIANCE. Agencies shall submit an initial written report not later than October 31, 2008 to the Anti-Red Tape Task Force established under Executive Order No. 557 dated August 8, 2006, through its Chairman, the Secretary of Trade and Industry, with copies to the Department of Budget and Management and the CSC on the present status of their compliance with past anti-red tape directives/issuances such as RA 6713, OP memorandum Circular No. 35, and Administrative Order No. 161 as amended.
Section 7. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS. Agencies are hereby directed to allocate a portion of their maintenance, operations and overhead expenditures (MOOE) budget as funding for the implementation of the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007, including the conduct of seminars and other services provided by the CSC and DAP.
The following agencies, identified for priority anti-red-tape measures, shall allocate two percent (2%) of their total budget from all sources for their measures to comply with Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 as well as measures identified by the CSC:
a. Bureau of Customs
b. Bureau of Fire Protection
c. Bureau of Food and Drugs
d. Bureau of Immigration
e. Bureau of Internal Revenue
f. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
g. Laguna Lake Development Authority
h. Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
i. Social Security System
j. Government Service Insurance System
Section 8. EFFECTIVITY. This Administrative Order shall take effect immediately.
For strict compliance.
DONE this 2nd day of October 2008 in the City of Manila.
(Sgd.) GLORIA M. ARROYO
By the President:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITA
Executive Secretary
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