The Philippine government is accelerating towards digital transformation as it looks at streamlining its services and fostering ease of doing business across all its agencies. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is in sync with this goal and is moving quickly to implement various digital initiatives and innovations. It announced in a press release that it has launched the Central Business Portal or CBP to expedite the registration of businesses and allow business owners to transact more conveniently.
In a separate statement, DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan II said, “With the launching of the Central Business Portal Phase 1, in line with the directives of the President to make physical queuing a thing of the past, we hope to start the ball rolling in revolutionising doing business in the country by making business registration faster, easier and more convenient to many of our local entrepreneurs and corporations.”
The department referred to the CBP as an online portal and a one-stop-shop for new enterprises across the country. To register their business, applicants were advised to go online and apply from different government agencies for all permits and licenses necessary for putting up a business. Through this virtual process, the DICT anticipates a faster turnaround time for business applications.
For instance, businesses applying as one-person and two to four-person corporations can now get their certificate of registration from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This will also apply to regular corporations put up by juridical entities and those with capital structures that are not covered by the 25%-25% rule.
In addition, they may register their TIN and order of payment with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) through the CBP. Likewise, under the new system, business owners can use the CBP as an e-payment portal when securing a Certificate of Registration or COR from the BIR. The DICT also noted that registrants can now simply go online to secure and generate their Social Security System, Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth employer numbers.
In launching the programme, the DICT said it hopes to not only provide a new avenue to facilitate seamless transactions between businesses and government but also to reduce red tape activities in public transactions. President Rodrigo Duterte shared the same sentiment and stated earlier, “This programme will promote great transparency and efficiency in the registration of businesses in the country for a more productive and empowered citizenry.”
The launch of the CBP is in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. Under RA 110932, all government offices and agencies, including local government units (LGUs) and government-owned and controlled corporations either here or abroad, shall promote government transparency and provide more convenient processes to secure various documents from agencies.
The DICT joins a slew of LGUs and government departments that have shown their commitment to integrating digital technology in their operational systems and promoting a more convenient atmosphere for doing business in the country. As earlier reported by OpenGov Asia, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) encouraged business owners in Pangasinan to choose online registration and avoid physical transactions by registering their company names through the DTI’s website. New enterprises may log on to the agency’s Business Name Registration System or BNRS. The online platform does not only cater to business registration as it may be used as a channel where enterprises can check and speed up their existing transactions with the department, including paying for registration fees using debit and credit cards.
DTI is confident that they will see more registration and renewal of business names through the online platform. Last year, over 916,000 companies registered and renewed their corporation names, 91% of which covered total business registrations.
