QUEZON CITY -- Secretary Jeremiah Belgica, Director General of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA), called on government agencies to set up their official contact numbers and assign someone to answer those contacting them.

Belgica said this is part of the government’s role to continue providing public assistance even amid the pandemic.

The Authority has received several complaints against government agencies who cannot be contacted because their official contact information cannot be found or there is no one responding to the calls.

“Dapat laging mayroong on standby para asistihan ang publiko. Essentially, ‘yun naman ang trabahong dapat nating magampanan sa gobyerno. Lalo lang bumabagal ang mga proseso kung wala man lang matawagan sa mga opisina ninyo,” Belgica said.

The ARTA Secretary said establishing contact numbers is as important as setting up Public Assistance and Complaints Desks, which are mandated under Republic Act No. 11032 or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.

It is also related to ARTA’s call for government agencies to maintain their full operational output capacity amid the pandemic as some government workers used the alternative working arrangements to be inefficient in their work.

This is in line with the Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Memorandum Circular No. 87 released by the Office of the President, which both state that the government must be at full operating capacity even during the COVID-19 pandemic or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). (ARTA)