Himamaylan City first LGU to digitalize business transactions in Negros Occidental

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – With emerging technology and the need to expedite every transaction in the government, Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental adopted the electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS) online portal of the government.

Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA)-Western Visayas chief administrative officer Josephine Venus Castillo said the eBOSS allows clients to access all necessary services and information for business registration — from submission of business license applications, online payment, and electronic issuance of relevant documents.

Only Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental and Pavia town in Iloilo province have met requirements set by ARTA in Western Visayas to implement eBOSS under the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Law, she said.

Castillo said ARTA oversees the government-owned and -controlled agencies in implementing the program, and they are determined to digitize government processes, reduce processing times and extensive requirements, simplify frontline service procedures, and eliminate fixers and collusion.

Mayor Rogelio Raymund Tongson said Himamaylan City’s adoption of eBOSS was a result of strong collaboration among stakeholders.

“I am very hopeful that we can continue this momentum, and that our other projects can also receive support from the people. The more support we receive for the program, the easier it will be for us to achieve success and to implement more programs that will make our work in the government easier,” Tongson said.

Meanwhile, Teodora Sumagaysay, the Provincial Director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Negros Occidental, said that “embracing this initiative would attract a lot of investors due to the program’s key feature of being able to obtain a business permit within just 20-40 minutes. This would also limit human intervention, subsequently reducing corruption and improving efficiency.”

Cybersecurity concern

Ralph Joseph Moncatar, the regional director of the Department of Information and Communication Technology – Western Visayas (DICT-6), said that the system is closely monitored by the cyber security bureau that consistently evaluates its vulnerabilities to ensure the security of the data encoded in the system.

Moncatar added that eBOSS includes various features to ensure security and transparency for users. These features include an audit trail, which logs and monitors every action in the system; session expiration, which automatically logs out accounts that are not in use to prevent unauthorized access; and a strong password policy to secure the accounts of all users.

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) reported that ARTA Director General Ernesto Perez aims to have 200 LGUs fully comply with the electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS) system by the end of this year.

The ARTA chief also identified the LGUs that have the fastest processing times for business permit applications: Navotas City at 20 minutes; Valenzuela, Marikina, and Mandaluyong at 30 minutes; Quezon City at 50 minutes; Manila, Parañaque, and Malabon at one hour; Pasay at 1.5 hours; Batangas City at two hours; and Balanga City at 2.5 hours. – Rappler.com