DavNor LGUs adopt streamlined BPLS

As of December 2014, all the eight municipalities and three cities in the province of Davao del Norte are already adopting the streamlined Business Process and Licensing System (BPLS) according to a survey conducted by the National Competitiveness Council in the same year.                                                  BPLS refers to the procedures followed by cities and municipalities in processing business permit applications (more commonly known as Mayor’s Permit) which must be secured by a businessman to operate legally in a certain locality. It is a joint project of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) which was launched last 2011 with a primary goal of improving the ease of starting and doing business in the country by simplifying and harmonizing the process of securing business permits and licenses. The key features of the national BPLS standards set forth  in the DTI-DILG Joint Memorandum Circular includes adoption of the BPLS Unified Form, reduction in the number of signatories, limiting the number of steps to a maximum of five and reduced processing time to five days for new applications and less than a day for renewals. A local government unit is considered adopting the streamlined BPLS if it satisfies one or more of the standards specified above. This development in the province’s business licensing system is expected to encourage more investors to put up businesses in Davao del Norte and the local residents to engage in profit generating activities thus creating more jobs and improving the quality of life in the area. The National Competitiveness Council is the body tasked to monitor the implementation of the standardized BPLS in the country.

Pulse Asia: 88% of Pinoys hopeful for 2015

In an "Ulat ng Bayan"survey conducted by Pulse Asia last November 2014, almost 9 out of 10 or 88% of the 1,200 Filipino respondents said that they are hopeful for 2015 despite the various political and economic concerns faced by the country and its citizens.

Pulse Asia conducted face-to-face interviews among respondents aged 18 years old and above asking them, “Will you face the coming year – with hope, maybe with hope / maybe without hope, or without hope?”

Out of the total 1,200 respondents, 86% from the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila, 91% from Luzon, 89% from Visayas, and 84% from Mindanao (84%), said that they would face this year with hope. Also, the hopeful disposition prevails amid socio-economic classes with Class ABC (90%), Class D (89%), and Class E (84%). Only 1% said they will face this year without hope while 11% are uncertain on the matter, the survey conducted on 14-20 November 2014 showed. 

Meanwhile, the November 2014 Pulse Asia Research also showed that most Filipinos (52%) expected their recent Christmas season celebration to be the same as in December 2013. However, more Filipinos saw a more prosperous Christmas celebration for their families last year (22% versus 34%), relative to December 2013.

The Aquino government welcomes the survey results, lauding the positive traits of hope and optimism of Filipinos, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said. “Hope and optimism have always been characteristic of the Filipino people, who, throughout history, have consistently refused to give in to negativity, or to be cowed by challenges. The Aquino administration itself has been witness to this: We are a government borne of our people’s belief that the tide can turn in the Philippines; that good governance can replace an entrenched culture of corruption,” Lacierda said in a statement. “The Aquino administration will continue implementing reforms to honor the enduring optimism of our countrymen,” Lacierda added.

Source: 

Department of Trade and Industry

Upbeat No. 1 - Janaury 9, 2015

Knowledge Management and Information Service

Makati City, Philippines