The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) participated in the Better Regulations Summit 2022 held by the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) last Friday, October 7 at the Philippine International Convention Center.
The Better Regulations Summit 2022, with the theme “Enabling Regulatory Reforms Towards Bureaucratic Efficiency”, is in accordance with the seventh point of the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., which aims to improve the economic state and speed up government services.
At the said event, the ARTA launched two major initiatives: the National Policy on Regulatory Management System (NPRMS), which will ensure that all regulations are rational and do not add excessive regulatory burden and cost; and the Business Permit and Licensing System (BPLS) Operations Manual, which is a manual for Local Government Units (LGUs) to adopt innovative approaches to public service delivery. Generally, these initiatives of ARTA aim to streamline government processes, making it easier for the Filipino people to apply for certificates and licenses and use government services.
The FDA Director General Samuel A. Zacate expressed his utmost support for the said programs, acknowledging the best efforts of government agencies as they improve their respective regulatory processes, develop a more sound policy approach, establish a common framework to reduce regulatory burden, and improve regulatory coherence with existing guidelines while respecting the unique mandate and value of each agency.
“The FDA takes pride in our initiative and ongoing efforts to streamline our services and regulations, upgrade our online platforms, capacitate our regulators and policymakers, and engage our partners and stakeholders to ensure that the standards and regulations we uphold are translated into compliance by the industry we regulate and, ultimately, the assurance and availability of health products for the general public,” said by the FDA Director General Samuel A. Zacate.