ILOILO — The Iloilo provincial government and the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) have launched a Provincial One-Stop Shop (POSS) aimed at drastically speeding up business permit processing and simplifying government transactions for Ilonggos and investors.
The initiative, formalized through a memorandum of agreement, seeks to centralize frontline local government services — particularly business-related transactions — in a single hub to make government processes faster, easier, and more accessible.
The agreement was signed by ARTA director general Secretary Ernesto V. Perez and Tourism Office and Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion (LEDIP) head Aulynn Yue Sin, representing Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
According to Yue Sin, the Provincial One-Stop Shop will serve as the province’s centralized access point for local government services, especially in securing business permits and related requirements.
The facility also aims to improve monitoring and coordination of business permit processing across Iloilo’s component cities and municipalities.
The Provincial One-Stop Shop will initially operate as a Help Desk under the Office of the Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Officer (OLEDIPO), which handles investment promotion, business coordination, and investor assistance in the province.
Yue Sin also urged local government units (LGUs) to adopt the electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS), a digital platform designed to streamline and accelerate permit processing.
“When government services become faster, simpler, and more accessible, we empower people. Businesses grow, jobs are created, and communities improve,” Yue Sin said.
The initiative forms part of the provincial government’s MoRProGRes Iloilo program, which promotes Iloilo as an investor-friendly and people-centered province committed to inclusive growth.
Provincial officials said the program supports the vision of building a “Fun, Foodie, Friendly Iloilo” that opens opportunities instead of creating bureaucratic barriers.
The MOA signing on Tuesday, May 26, coincided with ARTA’s Grand Ease of Doing Business Fair, a nationwide campaign held every May in celebration of Ease of Doing Business Month.
The two-day fair, conducted in partnership with local government units, gathered 25 national government agencies in Iloilo to provide frontline services, process permits, conduct consultations, and promote reforms aimed at reducing red tape and improving public service delivery.
Both the Iloilo provincial government and the Iloilo City Government participated in the event held at the Iloilo Terminal Market./PN
