The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) commended the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for actively participating in the Modernizing Government Regulations (MGR) Program at the 2019 Forum on Industry Regulatory Review on Education, Insurance, Mining, Non-Bank Intermediaries, and Water Utility Industries last May 15 at the Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria in Quezon City.

From a long list of agencies for the recognition, the three agencies were chosen to receive said recognition from the DAP. The agencies were selected based on the following criteria: (a) the agency’s continuous participation in MGR Program activities; (b) significant contribution to the industry regulatory review of the MGR Program; and (c) implementation or attempted implementation of good regulatory practices in their agencies that aim to improve the regulatory environment of their respective industries.

For instance, the awardees have attended dialogues and interviews conducted by the study teams and actively participated in MGR public consultations and fora held in Manila and in the regions. During these events, they shared observations and insights that served as valuable inputs to the industry regulatory reviews undertaken by the DAP from 2016 to 2018.

The DOH, DTI, and FDA have forged partnership with the DAP for the conduct of training on Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and have attended DAP-sponsored training programs on the conduct of public consultations and cost compliance assessment, all of which are relevant tools in Good Regulatory Practices (GRP). GRP is defined by the World Bank as internationally recognized processes, systems, tools, and methods to improve the quality of regulations and ensure that regulatory outcomes are effective, transparent, inclusive, and sustained.

The commendation also intends to highlight the agencies’ current best practices in regulatory making and implementation processes. These best practices include conduct of inclusive consultations, coordination among different regulatory agencies, international regulatory cooperation, and extended policy options most of which were being practiced by these agencies.

DAP President and Chief Executive Officer Engelbert Caronan, Jr. and Vice President Arnel Abanto awarded the certificates of appreciation to DOH-Bureau of Quarantine Director Ferdinand Salcedo and DTI-Competitiveness Bureau Division Chief Carolina Velasco who attended the event.

The event marked the initial efforts of the DAP to enjoin more government agencies to take steps to improve regulation and help create a better environment for businesses to thrive.

The MGR program, implemented by the DAP in partnership with the National Economic and Development Authority, is a comprehensive national regulatory reform program that seeks to enhance the capability of agencies to develop smart regulation and make doing business easier.