The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is continuing to roll out the Grand Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Fair across the country in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to deliver faster and more efficient government services.

On Monday, ARTA held a simultaneous one-stop shop fair for essential government services at the Quezon City Hall Meetings, Incentives, Conference & Exhibitions M.I.C.E Center and at Robinsons Place Pavia in Iloilo.

In Quezon City, ARTA partnered with the local government unit in holding the fair to bring frontline government services closer to the public.

Participating government offices include the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Land Transportation Office, Government Service Insurance System, Philippine Statistics Authority, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, Land Bank of the Philippines, National Council on Disability Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs, and Department of Information and Communications Technology, which provided services such as national ID issuance, license renewal, e-Gov registration, and civil registry documents.

“We want the people to feel that government services are being brought to their level. Government official services must be at the level of frontline services, fast, efficient, citizen-centric,” ARTA Director General Ernesto Perez told the Philippine News Agency during the opening of the fair in Quezon City.

ARTA has also conducted the one-stop shop government services fair in Baguio, Batangas, and Zamboanga, where the agency has regional offices.

This week, it will conduct the same event in Davao on Thursday and in Cagayan de Oro on weekend.

Perez said the Grand EODB Fair served an 80-year-old citizen, who was assisted to get his national ID within the day of application.

He added ARTA is planning to conduct a longer period for the EODB fair in the future.

“People are even clamoring that it should not only be for one day but even two days because people really come. Like in the province, they really appreciate coming over, like getting their national ID,” the ARTA chief said.

This is the first time that ARTA holds the Grand EODB Fair as part of Marcos’ Proclamation No. 818, declaring May as the Ease of Doing Business Month. (PNA)