“For many ordinary citizens, going to government offices is like negotiating a difficult obstacle course”
Red tape is the scourge of every Filipino transacting business with the government both local and national.
It has gotten so bad over the years that the ubiquitous fixers are needed when transacting business with any government agency.
Reason why Congress passed the Anti-Red Tape Act or R.A. 9485 in 2007 to ease doing business with any government agency.
This was further amended by R.A. 11035 in 2018 but, as we know, the law has not completely eradicated the problem. This is because we still find fixers in many government agencies.
Both R.A. 9485 and R.A. 11035 go to a lot of detail on how government agencies should not be so fixated and strict in adherence to multi-layered or redundant procedures and allow certain flexibility for efficiency and faster service.
There is such a thing as the 3-7-20 rule which ensures promptness of service.
This means that depending on the complexity of the transaction, simple transactions should only take three days, seven days for a little more complicated ones and 20 days for the most complex cases.
Had this been followed, the problem of red tape would have disappeared forever.
Unfortunately, many government agencies are unresponsive to reform.
Instead of streamlining and shortening procedures, layers continue to be added, prolonging government transactions.
It has not occurred to many bureaucrats that streamlining procedures can be more efficient and saves time.
Many agencies also often make decision making very centralized, making these agencies rigid and inflexible, thereby ensuring it will take eternity before anything gets done.
We all have a story to tell about red tape experiences in transacting business with government agencies.
A friend of mine just related to me there is currently one government agency whose main office in the National Capital Region does not allow people following communications personally because someone created a ruckus using some kind of weapon apparently because of red tape.
The person became so frustrated being given the run around that he simply snapped and went berserk.
Now, it has become harder than ever to find out the status of a complaint or an ongoing case if one does not know anyone in the building.
With the number of people in this country transacting business with government agencies both local and national, it would be interesting if a survey is conducted to find out how satisfied the public is when it comes to the concept of bringing the government closer to the people.
I suspect the result will not be very flattering to the government.
This is perhaps one reason why we often hear people saying one must know, must have a relative in government or be in government to get things done.
For many ordinary citizens, going to government offices is like negotiating a difficult obstacle course. While there are admittedly government agencies genuinely trying to better the services being provided, many agencies continue with old inefficient procedures or simply refuse to reform.
With the way things are going in this area, it is hard for the public to be optimistic that changes are in the air.
Maybe this is one reason why people everywhere want to join the government service either via elections or other civil service jobs because of the many fringe benefits.
Even at the Barangay level, which is supposed to be non-political positions, people are flocking to be elected and even willing to buy votes.
But look at the just concluded Barangay elections where scores of candidates were killed due to political violence.
About 19 people lost their lives.
Was it all worth it?
Maybe we can understand if the political stakes are much higher but at a Barangay level?
What could be there that people want it so badly even at the cost of losing their lives?
But going back to that person who went berserk at the main office of one government agency, it so happens that I also have a case in that office that has been going on for 21 years which up to now has not yet been resolved.
But instead of doing what that person did, I decided to simply engage the services of a lawyer which I should have done long time ago because at least things are beginning to move.
But from what I am seeing, it is still a slow boat to China as they say and, at my age, I am not very optimistic.
Twenty-one years for a simple case to remain unresolved are stories we only read about in Ripley’s Believe it or Not.
But such cases are not really unusual in our country.
For instance, it might take two months to have an official communication confirmed because a letter has to be sent via registered mail which will have to be verified and certified that the addressee received the letter before the agency is satisfied.
They do not allow any flexibility for the process to be shortened.
In fact, the agency took 16 years to make a decision on some kind of a complaint which could have been dismissed in a few days had they wanted it because the complainant was not a party to the original case.
The government needs to do something drastic if it wants to keep the bureaucracy moving faster.
The usual programs like an Anti-Red Tape week or month will simply not do.
We need concrete actions.
One feature of the Anti-Red tape Law is for government agencies to answer letters within 15 days. Failure to do so will automatically mean what is being requested or asked for is automatically approved.
But many agencies continue to routinely ignore this.
If this is so difficult to enforce, is there still hope?
If the Director General of the Anti-Red Tape Authority has some answers, it would be nice to hear them.