Senator urges ARTA to launch red tape shame list

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Monday urged the Anti-Red Tape Authority, or ARTA, to launch a public “shame campaign” against local government units and national agencies with the highest number of red tape complaints.

Zubiri said the move would increase public accountability and pressure government offices to improve efficiency by naming and ranking poor performers.

“Eh kung may shame campaign dyan, like for example those LGUs with the most number of complaints, aba maganda tingnan na din ng taong-bayan yan,” Zubiri said during a Senate budget hearing on November 24, 2025.

“Para sa gayon ay alam ng taumbayan. Kasi ang internet ngayon, it’s very unforgiving. Use that platform. We can ask ARTA to use that platform for the LGUs to shape up kasi nakakahiya na yan,” he added.

The Senate hearing, led by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, reviewed the proposed 2026 budget of ARTA with Director-General Ernesto V. Perez in attendance.

ARTA was formed under Republic Act 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act, to eliminate excessive bureaucracy in public service.

Zubiri said he continues to receive reports of rampant red tape in LGUs and lamented that a previous public scoreboard tracking agency performance has been discontinued.

“Maybe that’s something that they should do (shame campaign). Alam mo ang mga magnanakaw, lalo na sa local government, sasabihin nila ‘wala naman tayo sa listahan kaya okay lang, happy naman tayo, mayaman naman tayo. Basta walang shame campaign, okay lang. Tuloy lang ang ligaya,’” he said.

He said publicizing performance metrics could influence political behavior, as service delivery becomes tied to electoral accountability.

“That will be a challenge for these agencies and LGUs to do better. And the people will be aware so they will not vote for these mayors anymore, all these governors, kasi makikita ang pagnanakaw doon at pahirap sa kanila ng mga pulitiko,” he said.

Zubiri said rankings should be granular enough to allow regional comparisons and promote competition among LGUs.

“Mr. President, malaking bagay kasi yan eh. For example, Region X. If you come up with a list on (the worst LGUs when it comes to red tape) Region X, like maybe out of the 22 LGUs of Bukidnon, pag sinabi mong sampu diyan bagsak sa anti-red tape, papagalitan po natin yun. Hindi tayo papayag doon,” he noted.

He suggested that ARTA create a structured template to publicly identify underperforming agencies and LGUs, outline specific issues, propose solutions, and set clear deadlines for improvement.

“May I make that suggestion, your Honor? Maybe next year for the next budget I’ll request a new listing or some sort of plan of action on also highlighting the LGUs and government agencies, national government agencies that are ranking very poorly in the ease of doing business,” he added.

During the hearing, Gatchalian identified the most-complained-about agencies regarding red tape: the Food and Drug Administration, Land Transportation Office, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine Statistics Authority, and Land Registration Authority.

For government-owned and -controlled corporations, the top sources of complaints were the Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund, Securities and Exchange Commission, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Government Service Insurance System.

Zubiri said visible performance benchmarks could drive reform by mobilizing voter pressure and encouraging inter-LGU competition.

ARTA has yet to issue a formal response to Zubiri’s proposals.