The government has developed a prototype that will allow new business registrants to apply for permits using a mobile phone.
“We are pleased to report that business registration at your fingertips will soon be a reality. We are happy to note that the prototype is a viable concept. But more tests are being completed in order to further validate,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, also chair of the Ease of Doing Business/Anti-Red Tape Advisory Council.
He said the new development would also help improve the Philippines’ ranking in the Ease of Doing Business survey of the World Bank.
“But most of all, we are looking forward to this because this will greatly change the way Filipinos apply and register for business licenses. It can be done in a matter of minutes, providing you have all the requirements needed for registration,” Lopez said Thursday during the media presentation of Project One.
The Department since July has organized a series of workshops that came up with a prototype for a portal on local government unit information, and a framework on the Philippine business number.
Project One’s launch of Design Sprint 3 workshop follows the release of the Doing Business Report Survey 2019, where the Philippines improved in the starting a business indicator, increasing from 66.86 to 71.97 in terms of EODB score, and a rise in the ranking from 173 to 166.
The Department created a streamlined process for business registration, providing an excellent opportunity for the Philippines to become one of the first countries to adopt a business registration process that can be completed—from registration to payment—on a smartphone.
The One Central Business Portal is being developed as an alternative registration channel that is easy to use. Itwill significantly reduce the time, steps and costs plus the inconvenience of business registration particularly for micro, small and medium enterprises.