Over the years, red tape has always been one of the major problem that our country has, in fact, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said, “We must remind ourselves of this basic principle: Our people, through their taxes, provide the lifeblood of the government. They are the reason for government’s very existence, our people expect no less from us.” It clearly implies that people deserves to receive a better quality delivery of service. He also promise to cut red tape in government, fight corruption and criminality during his oath of office as the country’s 16th president. In his speech, he laid down the first policy he wants his administration to implement—reduce red tape in government.
Red tape, defined by the dictionary as the excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules and formalities which results in delay or inaction. When you are applying for a business permits or getting any other government service, you might experience this so called “red tape”. This practice causes inefficiency in the delivery of the government services to its people.
The government has enacted Republic Act No. 9485 otherwise known as the “Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007” to improve efficiency in the delivery of government service to the public by reducing bureaucratic red tape and prevent graft and corruption in government agencies and offices. One of the measurement of this republic act was the compliance and implementation of the Citizen’s Charter created by each local government units. Section 6 of RA 9485 states that “all government agencies including departments, bureaus, offices, instrumentalities, or government-owned and/or controlled corporations, or local government or district units shall set up their respective service standards to be known as the Citizen’s Charter in the form of information billboards which should be posted at the main entrance of offices or at the most conspicuous place, and in the form of published materials written either in English, Filipino, or in the local dialect.”
The mission statement of the Local Government Unit of Bataan, “Excellent public service towards a better quality of life for all”, shows that though there are hindrances for providing excellent public service, the Local Chief Executive still strive to provide such for the people of Bataan to receive what they really deserve.
Huque and Ahsan (2016) conclude on their study that poor implementation strategies and practices in developing countries impede empowerment of citizens and do not allow local councils to perform effectively.
Also, Gurung, etal states that “Poor implementation and low public awareness of the Charter limit its usefulness. Provision of sanctions and consultation with citizens in Charter development are needed to expand the scope of Charters from information brochures to tools for accountability”.
It clearly implies that poor implementation of the Citizens’s Charter degrade the integrity of the LGU most especially when it comes to curbing of red tape.
By: Ms. Judith Guzman | Teacher 1 | BNHS
