FDA, LTO lead red tape complaint list

MANILA, Philippines — The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has identified the 10 poorest-performing government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) under its red tape complaint list.

In a report submitted to the Senate, the Food and Drug Administration emerged as the most inefficient and poorest-performing agency in facilitating government transactions, logging 465 red tape complaints from January to August.

It was followed by the Land Transportation Office with 287 complaints; Bureau of Internal Revenue, 239; Philippine Statistics Authority, 171 and the Land Registration Authority, 113.

Other agencies on the list were the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (94); Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (91); Department of Foreign Affairs (64); Professional Regulation Commission (46) and the Bureau of Customs (44).

For GOCCs, the Social Security System received the most complaints with 244, followed by the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund (122); Securities and Exchange Commission (58); PhilHealth (30); Government Service Insurance System (25); Land Bank of the Philippines (20); Philippine Postal Corp. (20); Philippine Ports Authority (6); Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (5); Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (5); National Housing Authority (4); Social Housing Finance Corp. (3) and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (3).

The list prompted senators to call for its regular publication to shame inefficient offices into improving their services.

ARTA has filed 313 cases before the Office of the Ombudsman against various local government units for alleged violations of anti-red tape laws.