The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) is stepping up efforts to require all local government units (LGUs) to fully digitalize business permit processing through the Electronic Business One-Stop Shop (eBOSS) system by Nov. 1, 2026.
As of Dec. 31, 2025, only 127 of 1,642 LGUs nationwide have achieved full compliance with the eBOSS requirement, a platform designed to allow applicants to submit documents, pay fees, and secure a printable mayor’s permit without physically visiting government offices.
ARTA Director General Ernesto Perez said digitalization remains the strongest measure against bureaucratic delays and corruption in government transactions.
“The best and most effective way of fighting red tape and corruption is to streamline and digitalize processes. eBOSS is a classic, basic, fundamental example of applying a streamlined and digitalized process,” Perez said.
Perez cited Lapu-Lapu City as a model LGU, noting that it has reduced business permit processing time to under five minutes.
He also reported that 16 of 17 cities and one municipality in Metro Manila are already compliant with the eBOSS system.
Under Republic Act 12254, or the E-Governance Act signed on Sept. 5, 2025, LGUs are required to operationalize their eBOSS platforms by Oct. 31, 2026. Full enforcement will begin on Nov. 1, 2026.
Once implemented, businesses registered through compliant LGUs will be issued permits containing QR codes for instant verification, which ARTA said will improve transparency and strengthen tax compliance.
The agency said LGUs that have adopted eBOSS have reported increased business registrations and improved revenue collection, attributing the gains to simplified procedures and reduced face-to-face transactions.
ARTA data also showed that Metro Manila LGUs with eBOSS systems generated nearly P2 billion in combined business tax collections in 2022.
To support nationwide rollout, a free eBOSS system called eNGU is being offered by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which LGUs may adopt at no cost.
Perez said LGUs using third-party systems must ensure integration with eNGU and coordination with the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) before the deadline.
ARTA is also working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on a provincial one-stop shop initiative, with pilot implementations planned in Bataan and Iloilo.
The eBOSS program is anchored on Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, which mandates government agencies to streamline and digitalize frontline services.
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