More than 200 Business Permit and Licensing Officers (BPLOs) and Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Officers (LEDIPOs) from the seven provinces of Region 3 gathered for the 4th Regional Convention of BPLOs on July 6-7, 2023 at the Royce Hotel, Clark, Pampanga.
The event, with the theme “Revolutionizing Business Permit Processes Thru Digitalization” was organized by the Central Luzon Association of BPLOs Inc. (CLAB) with the support of the Department of Trade and Industry Regional Office III (DTI-3). This year’s convention served as a platform to encourage LGUs to embrace technology and adopt innovative practices in the issuance of business permits.
DTI-3 OIC Regional Director Brigida T. Pili welcomed the delegates from the different local government units in the region. OIC-RD Pili expressed her gratitude to the CLAB and DTI-3 Associates for organizing the regionwide convention. She emphasized the importance of maximizing the use of technology in the issuance of business permits and licenses.
“In an era where technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, it is imperative that we harness its potential to streamline and enhance our operations. By maximizing the use of technology, we can expedite business permit issuance, improve transparency, and eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles,” RD Pili said.
Representing Bulacan Governor Daniel R. Fernando, special consultant Mr. Crispin De Luna acknowledged the vital role of BPLOs and LEDIPOs in creating a conducive business climate that attracts investment and promotes sustainable economic growth in the region.
OIC Director Rachel Ann Grabador of the Government Digital Transformation Bureau under the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) served as keynote speaker for the convention. Dir. Grabador stressed the importance of digitalization in the government’s quest of ease of doing business.
She mentioned that the government has recently launched eGovPH super app which functions as a single operating system for all government transactions. “eGov PH is the Philippine’s first one-stop shop platform for local and national government services that will streamline processes and transactions to ensure ease of doing business in the country,” Dir. Grabador said. She encouraged the delegates to introduce the system to their respective LGUs and constituents and take advantage of the different features of the app ranging from social services, LGU transactions, travel and tourism, business startups, e-payments, and jobs among others.
Meanwhile, Engr. Antonio Edward Padre, Regional Director of DICT-3, presented the status of digitalization of Central Luzon LGUs. He stated that there are 79 LGUs in the Region that use the Integrated Business Permit and Licensing System (iBPLS), an online system for securing business permits, building and occupancy permits and even barangay clearance in identified LGUs.
Philippine Statistics Office Region 3 Regional Director Arlene Divino discussed the harmonization of business classification through the Philippine Standard Industrial Classification (PSIC). According to RD Divino, the PSIC serves as a framework for data collection, processing, and compilation to ensure uniformity, consistency and comparability of data produced by both government and private sectors. She advised the participants to adapt the PSIC in their LGUs as a standardized classification system to categorize and identify economic activities of businesses during the registration and licensing procedures.
On the second day, Chief Superintendent Jesus Fernandez, Acting Deputy Chief of Administration of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), presented the integration of the Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC)in the eGov app of the DICT. With the inclusion of the FSIC in the app, BFP clients can now easily apply for their certificates online even without visiting their local fire station.
Department of the Interior and Local Government Region 3 Assistant Regional Director Jay Timbreza also presented the integration of Barangay Clearance in the iBPLS. ARD Timbreza stated that in certain LGUs in the region, constituents can now apply online for their Barangay Clearance.
During the convention, the oath-taking of the CLAB officers was also held which was officiated by ARD Timbreza.
