By Jo Montemayor
President Duterte approved Monday night the proposal of the Department of Trade and Industry to adopt certain regularity reforms to improve the ease of doing business in the country, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and concurrent presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said yesterday.
Panelo said the President gave the approval during the 44th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday where Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez reported that the Philippines now ranked 95th, up from 124th, in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2020 survey.
“To further improve our rankings in the coming years, Secretary Lopez proposed to adopt the ease of doing business reforms, and asked concerned agencies to streamline and automate their processes. This was approved by the Chief Executive,” he said.
The World Bank report, released last October 24, recognized the Philippines as one of the top improved economies after climbing 29 notches.
Panelo also said the president is set to issue an executive order (EO) that would govern the land use practices in the country while waiting for the passage of the law that would institutionalize such.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia raised the need for an EO during the Cabinet meeting.
Panelo said the President approved Pernia’s call for an EO while waiting for the passage of the National Land Use Act.
Pernia and National Economic and Development Authority undersecretary Adoracion Navarro also reported the salient points of the draft bill of the National Land Use, he added.
The proposed bill was among the legislative measures endorsed by the President in his last State of the Nation Address in July.
The proposed measure aims to harmonize sector specific land use policies and provide, among others, specific lands for agricultural production, housing settlement and environmental protection.
