ARTA to cover 860 agencies in report card survey

MANILA, Philippines — The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is set to cover 860 government agencies in the first phase of the implementation of the Report Card Survey (RCS) 2.0, which measures the quality of service of government agencies.

In a statement, ARTA said the first phase of RCS 2.0 is slated from the third week of November to March 2024.

RCS 2.0 evaluates the service delivery of government offices nationwide through gathering feedback from the transacting public regarding these agencies’ adherence to Republic Act (RA) 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

The first phase of the survey is set to cover 300 national government agencies, 200 local government units, 150 government-owned and controlled corporations, 135 state universities and colleges, 50 water districts, and 25 government hospitals.

Of these agencies, 526 are in Luzon, 150 are in Visayas, and 184 in Mindanao.

The number of government agencies to be covered by the first phase of RCS 2.0 is significantly larger than the 50 selected government agencies in Metro Manila covered by the pilot implementation of RCS 2.0 from July to December 2022.

ARTA Secretary Ernesto Perez has called for the transacting public to provide their honest feedback once selected to participate in the RCS 2.0.

“ARTA strongly encourages the public to let their voice be heard by answering this survey. Their feedback is very important to us, and we need everyone’s cooperation as we strive to improve the ease of doing business in the country,” Perez said.

The agency explained that the survey is one of its initiatives aimed at raising public awareness and empowering stakeholders through listening to their experiences, as their assessment will serve as the basis for improving these agencies’ processes and service delivery.

“As the authorized third-party service provider since the pilot implementation of RCS, People Dynamics Inc. (PDI) will also be authorized to administer the survey questionnaires through on-site or phone interviews,” ARTA said.

Afterwards, PDI will conduct inspection of offices that have been subjected to RCS 2.0 using the inspection checklist.

PDI targets to survey 215 agencies by December 2023, with the remaining agencies to be finished by March 2024, according to ARTA.

“We believe that RCS 2.0 can be an opportunity for everyone to participate in President Marcos’ call to utilize a whole-of-nation approach to improve bureaucratic efficiency,” Perez said.

Earlier this month, ARTA awarded the contract and turned the survey instruments over to PDI.

“This project is not just a solidary endeavor, it is a collective journey towards a more transparent, efficient, and accountable government sector which we all want,” PDI president Jocelyn Pick said earlier.