Cayetano set to file “Anti-Hassle” bill

By April 12, 2015Business, News

STOP victimizing the public.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano made this call to national agencies during an impromptu press conference at the Malimgas Market after a consultation with market vendors in Dagupan City last Thursday.

Mr. Cayetano, the Senate’s majority leader, said if he can have his way, he wants Pangasineses and the rest of the country’s citizens to be served by national agencies with utmost efficiency and not be made to suffer consequences of inefficient plans and projects of national agencies.

Towards the end, he said he is filing an “anti-hassle” bill at the senate that will seek to reverse the present trend in governance where citizens are made to suffer inconveniences on account of national agencies’ poor performance.

He cited the recent campaign of the Land Transportation Office to enforce the “no-plate, no travel policy” that penalizes vehicle owners without car plates, a situation that was created by the agency’s failure to produce the car plates even after vehicle owners have paid their registration fees.

He noted the LTO policy hassles the vehicle owners because it punishes the latter after the agency and its private contractor failed to produce the license plates on time.

He also cited the recent directive of the Bureau of Internal Revenue requiring top taxpayers to start complying with its electronic filing digital system under pain of penalty, without ensuring that everyone has easy access to the form and the system.

“Even accountants are having a hard time accessing the prescribed form yet BIR threatens failure to meet the deadline with fines,” Mr. Cayetano said.

He also cited the inconvenience imposed on the public by making the latter wait for days to get National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance, birth certificates, etc. because of inefficient system in the agencies.

“The taxpayers are being unduly hassled by the unreasonable demands of these two agencies instead of being helped, all because they failed to perform their mandate to effectively and efficiently serve the pubic”, the senator said.

“The Anti-Hassle Law will seek to punish government agencies that unduly and unreasonably inconvenience the public,” Mr. Cayeatno added.

He said the private sector relies on its efficiency and offers incentives to its customers to gain their loyalty and patronage but the public sector is adopting a completely opposite policy. “We see agencies that make victims out of the public instead of serving and gaining their trust,” Mr. Cayetano pointed out.

He said he will file the bill this month. (Johanne Macob)

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