THE Philippines will roll out a reform guidebook to lift its global competitiveness ranking, particularly in the World Bank’s Business-Ready (B-Ready) Report and the Philippine Global Competitiveness Report Card, the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) said.
“The target remains as we hope the reforms will be implemented and recognized as outlined in the PhEODB (Philippines Ease of Doing Business) Guidebook,” Secretary Ernesto Perez, director-general of ARTA, said in a text message late Saturday when asked if the Guidebook will help the Philippines make it to the top 20 percent of the World Bank’s B-Ready report in 2026.
The Philippines made it to the top 40 percent of the 50 economies with 70.68 points in the inaugural edition of the B-Ready Report last year.
Declining to comment on the reforms, Perez said the PhEODB Guidebook to be launched on May 22 addresses the 10 factors used by the World Bank in measuring the ease of doing business in an economy.
These include: business entry, business location, utility services, labor, financial services, international trade, taxation, dispute resolution, market competition and business insolvency.
Perez in a television interview on May 16 said the guidebook contains the concrete and written guidelines for government agencies “aimed at enhancing the business climate and improving the Philippines’ standing in global ranking.”
“This initiative is part of the government’s broader efforts under Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Law to institutionalize regulatory reforms, streamline government processes, and improve the country’s global competitiveness,” he said.
Perez said the guidebook was crafted in consultation with the private sector and other government agencies and was jointly developed by ARTA, Asian Institute of Management-Rizalino S. Navarro Policy Center for Competitiveness and the Department of Trade and Industry.
Following the release of the inaugural B-Ready report, Perez in Oct. 29, 2024 was quoted by this paper as saying, while the Philippines is strong in terms of laws and regulations, implementation of these laws needs more improvement.
The next World Bank B-Ready report will be released in 2026
