(NAR) VOL. 18 NO. 1/JANUARY - MARCH 2007
WHEREAS, Section 29 of Republic Act No. 8792 or the
“Electronic Commerce Act”,
approved by the President on 14 June 2000, gives the Department of
Trade and Industry the authority to direct and supervise the promotion
and development of electronic commerce in the country with relevant
government agencies;
WHEREAS,
the two salient provisions of the Electronic Commerce Act are Section
27 (Government Use of Electronic Data Messages, Electronic Documents and
Electronic Signatures) and Section 28 (RPWEB to Promote the Use of
Electronic Documents and Electronic Data Messages in Government and to
the General Public);
WHEREAS,
the Philippine Business Registry (PBR) system will facilitate a
seamless transactional environment for business registration and
development across the application systems of various government
agencies such as but not limited to the Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security System (SSS), and Philippine
Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);
WHEREAS,
Executive Order No. 428 issued on 18 May 2005, directs Departments,
Bureaus, Offices and other Agencies in the Executive Branch, including
Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations to simplify rules and
regulations and reduce reportorial requirements to facilitate doing
business and encourage more investments in the country;
WHEREAS,
Executive Order No. 557 issued on 08 August 2006, establishes an
Anti-Red Tape Task Force chaired by the DTI Secretary, the objective of
which is to immediately remove national government bottlenecks,
particularly those that hinder the securing of necessary permits in
starting up private businesses;
WHEREAS,
the PBR will evolve into a business facilitation platform that is
envisioned to increase commercial activities within and outside the
country;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:
SECTION 1.
The Secretary of Trade and Industry is hereby directed to establish and
administer comprehensive and integrated programs for business
registration and facilitation at the national, regional and local levels
with due consideration to advances in convergence and other emerging
technologies. For this purpose, he may call on any agency, corporation
or organization, whether public of private, whose development programs
in business registration and preparation and implementation of such
programs. Technical Working Groups (TWGs) may also be created to address
specific issues and concerns.
SECTION 2. The
Secretary of Trade and Industry shall formulate and recommend national
policies and guidelines that will promote business registration and
facilitation with both public and private sectors. For this purpose he
shall consult the —
- Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Commission, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
- Commissioner, Bureau of Customs (BOC)
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Social Security System (SSS)
- Administrator, National Statistics Office (NSO)
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)
- Secretary, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
- President, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)
SECTION 3.
The Secretary of Trade and Industry shall perform such other powers and
functions as may be prescribed by law or as may be necessary,
incidental or proper to pursue its mandate or as may be assigned from
time to time by the President. He shall submit a periodic report of its
activities to the President.
SECTION 4.
To carry out the provisions of this Order, funds for the necessary
expenses for the operations of the PBR shall come from Philippine
Business Registry (PBR) project funds administered by the Department of
Trade and Industry subject to existing accounting and auditing rules and
regulations.
SECTION 5. This Order shall take effect immediately.
DONE in the City of Manila, this 8th day of December, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Six.
(Sgd.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines
By the President:
(Sgd.) EDUARDO R. ERMITAExecutive Secretary