ON Nov. 29, 2021, the AntiRed Tape Authority (ARTA) officially launched its cARTAravan, a nationwide caravan that aims to promote the agency’s ease of doing business and anti-red tape initiatives in areas outside of Metro Manila (National Capital Region or NCR).

Under this project, we have launched inspections in the local government units of Rosales, Lingayen and Dagupan in Pangasinan and at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority as well as conducted seminars and assemblies for Committee on Anti-Red Tape (CART) members, ARTA volunteers and ARTA Champions.

We are holding the cARTAravan to promote the authority and ensure compliance of government agencies outside Metro Manila with provisions of Republic Act (RA) 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.”

While we have said the Ilocos Region displayed a high compliance rate with RA 11032, some things in government agencies of the region can still be improved with ARTA’s help.

These include the posting of updated Citizens Charters, the establishment of a public assistance and complaints desk (PACD) and the electronic business one-stop shop (EBoss), and the overall streamlining and automation of their services.

One of our goals in rolling out this cARTAravan is to reach the various regional offices of government agencies, especially the ones that we have received complaints and concerns about. As I have mentioned before, conducting inspections and seminars outside Metro Manila is not an uncommon thing for the agency, but most of our operations are focused on the National Capital Region.

One office where we have received complaints and concerns about is the Iloilo regional office of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Several hospitals and health institutions there have filed complaints and concerns before the ARTA about delay in payment of their claims. We have conducted several meetings and hearings with officials of this office, together with those in the main PhilHealth office and the concerned stakeholders.

As the cARTAravan makes its way to other regions, we are hoping to meet these officials in person to establish a deeper connection with them and have more comprehensive discussions on the issue and how we can arrive at solutions.

Our hope is that through the cARTAravan, we will be able to find out as many local issues as we can and support the local authorities in resolving them. This is in line with our mandate to oversee a national policy on streamlining and automation and is part of our campaign to foster a whole-ofnation approach to eradicate red tape and corruption in the country.

In our first few days of doing this project, we have seen that those in the regions know about the authority but are not that knowledgeable when it comes to the nuances of the law.

That is why it is important for us to go down to the grassroots level to familiarize them with our mandates. I believe that one of the strongest weapons that the public can wield against abuse from erring government workers is the firm knowledge on the rights and services that they are entitled to. Similarly, government workers who are armed with knowledge of the law are sure to reap the full benefits of streamlining and automating their processes.

In the coming days and months, the cARTAravan will also visit government agencies and local government units in NCR, Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

On a personal note, today marks the 40th day after the passing of my mother, Dr. Carmelita “Meth” BantaBelgica. Throughout her lifetime, she displayed high intelligence and passion in bettering the lives of our countrymen. In her several years of service in the government, she has touched and brought a positive impact on so many lives. My mother is also the one who taught me and my brothers about the value of sacrifice, volunteerism and public service. That is why it is very important for us to keep her legacy alive by remaining in the service of Filipinos. Upholding her sterling legacy of public service is just another one of the things that I would like to achieve with the cARTAravan and the authority’s other programs, projects and initiatives.