CITY OF MALOLOS – The Provincial Government of Bulacan, through the Provincial Cooperative and Enterprise Development Office (PCEDO), launched the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Champion contest, aim to institutionalize regulatory excellence, advance digital transformation, and foster innovation among local government units held at the Mesa Alta, Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention Center in this city on Tuesday, October 7.
Governor Daniel R. Fernando and Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) Secretary and Director General Ernesto V. Perez, together with participating agencies, LGUs, and business partners, led the launching and ceremonial signing of the EODB Pledge Wall to signify their commitment to the program.
Fernando ensures that under the program, all government processes are easy, fast, and smooth, from obtaining permits, registration, and running a business.
“Higit sa mga patakaran at proseso, ang tunay na tagumpay ay nasa kooperasyon at malasakit. Tulad ng mga kooperatiba na nagtataguyod ng bayanihan at sama-samang pag-unlad, gayundin ang ating layunin sa EODB program, na walang maiiwan sa pag-asenso, at bawat Bulakenyo ay may patas na pagkakataon para magtagumpay,” the governor said. (More than policies and processes, true success lies in cooperation and caring. Just as cooperatives promote solidarity and collective development, same too is our goal in the EODB program, that no one is left behind in progress, and every Bulakenyo has a fair chance to succeed.)
For his part, Vice Gov. Castro said that this program is not only for entrepreneurs, but above all for the Bulakenyos who will directly benefit from a faster, clearer, and more efficient business and investment process.
He said that through the EODB Champion Program, they are committed to speeding up and facilitating processes, and promoting full transparency that will attract more investors, make it easier to establish small and large businesses, and grow the province’s economy.
“Together, we can truly make Bulacan a champion of good governance and ease of doing business. This is the pledge of the Provincial Government, under the leadership of our People’s Governor Daniel R. Fernando and yours truly: make Bulacan not only a center of trade, culture, and heritage, but also a center of innovation and a government centered on the needs of the Bulacan people,” Castro added.
Meanwhile, Perez congratulated Bulacan for being the first in the region to launch an EODB program contest.
“Kung gusto nating mapaganda ang negosyo, gusto nating magkaroon ng maraming negosyo, lumago ang ating bayan, dapat po ang gawin natin, sama-sama tayo, both government and private sector na i-implement ‘yung mga batas particularly on ease of doing business. Hindi na po natin kailangang gumawa ng batas, kailangan lang po natin i-implement,” the ARTA secretary said. (If we want to improve business, we want to have more businesses, our country to grow, what we should do, together, both government and private sector, is to implement the laws particularly on ease of doing business. We don’t need to make laws, we just need to implement them.)
Moreover, ARTA Chief Administrative Officer Mary Grace B. Manabat, Dir. Myrvi Apostol-Fabia of the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Bulacan, Dir. Gerald Victor M. Calamaan of the Department of Information and Communications Technology-Bulacan, Carina Tengco-Bautista, President of the Bulacan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dir. Maria Cristina V. Valenzuela of the Department of Trade and Industry-Bulacan, and Elmor G. Baroquillo, Chief Statistical Specialist of the Philippine Statistics Authority expressed their messages of support to the program.
Also, Board of Investment Director of the Investments Assistance Center Ernesto C. Delos Reyes, Jr. delivered a message of commitment to accelerating investments through regulatory reform.
The EODB Champion contest is open to all cities and municipalities in Bulacan and will be evaluated in three areas, including compliance with EODB laws, service efficiency and impact, and innovation through digital integration.
Winners, including the first, second, and third places, and special awards as Innovation Champion, Investment Facilitation Champion, and Customer Service Champion, will be recognized in an awarding ceremony on December 12, 2025.
The EODB Champion program is anchored on the Republic Act. 11032 or the “Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018”, Executive Order No. 18 or the “Constituting Green Lanes for Strategic Investments”, and the Proclamation No. 818 or the “Declaring the Month of May of Every Year as the Ease of Doing Business Month”.
