Local government units (LGUs) have until June 17, 2021 to put up an electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBoss) or automate their Business Processing and Licensing Systems (BPLS).
All of the 1,600 LGUs in the country are mandated to set up an e-Boss following the issuance yesterday of a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) by the Departments of Trade and Industry, Interior and Local Government and Information and Communication Technology with the Anti-Red Tape Authority .
JMC No. 01 s. 2021 establishes the guidelines for processing business permits, related clearances, and licenses in all cities and municipalities.
eBoss will feature online submission of business permit applications, digital payment options, and issuance of electronic versions of permits, licenses, or clearances.
eBoss is envisioned to lessen people-to-people contact and promote strict observance of health protocols amid the pandemic.
LGUs which will transition to the fully automated business registration system or eBoss are to adopt a partly manual and partly electronic/online system that will reduce the number of steps for processing business permits to less than four, the JMC said.
The JMC also standardizes the documentary requirements, steps, and processing time related to business registration.
One example is the creation of Unified Application Form (UAF) of LGUs to serve as the application form for the Business Permit, the Fire Safety and Inspection Certificate (FSIC) for business, the Locational Clearance or its equivalent, the Sanitary Permit and the Environmental Permit (if required).
Another is the cutting down of the number of signatories on permits.
Business permits and related ancillary permits such as but not limited to the locational clearance, Sanitary Permit, the Barangay Business Clearance and the Fire Safety and Inspection Certificate for business shall be limited to a maximum of three signatures representing the officers directly supervising the office/department concerned responsible for the permit/clearance,” the JMC said.
