Section 17Sec./Art. 17

New sections to be numbered as Sections 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 are hereby inserted after Section 15 of the same Act to read as follows:

"Sec. 26. Transition from Manual to Software-Enabled Business-Related Transactions. The DICT, in coordination with other concerned agencies, shall within three (3) years after the effectivity of this Act, automate business-related transactions by developing the necessary software and technology-neutral platforms and secure infrastructure that is web-based and accessible to the public. The DICT shall ensure that all municipalities and provinces classified as third (3rd), fourth (4th), fifth (5th) and sixth (6th) class are provided with appropriate equipment and connectivity, information and communications technology platform, training and capability building to ensure the LGUs compliance with this Act."

"Sec. 27. Transitory Provisions.

"(a) The Director General of the Authority, in consultation with the DTI, shall determine the organizational structure and personnel complement of the Authority.1wphi1 To ensure continued implementation of ease of doing business and anti-red tape reforms, the teams or units involved in regulatory improvement and/or ease of doing business-related programs of the DTI-Competitiveness Bureau shall serve as temporary secretariat of the Authority until such time that its organizational structure and personnel complement have been determined and filled up: Provided, That the staff of the DTI-Competitiveness Bureau shall have the option to be absorbed or transferred laterally to the Authority without diminution of their rank, position, salaries and other emoluments once the staffing pattern and plantilla position of the Authority has been approved.

"(b) All regulatory management programs and anti-red tape initiatives across government agencies shall be gathered by the Authority. The DTI, CDA, NCC, DOF, Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) shall submit to the Authority a report on the status of their respective projects related to regulatory management.

"(c) The Authority, in coordination with CSC and the Council, shall conduct an information dissemination campaign in all NGAs and LGUs to inform them of this Act amending Republic Act No. 9485, otherwise known as the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007."

"Sec. 28. Congressional Oversight Committee. To monitor the implementation of this Act, there shall be created a Congressional Oversight Committee on Ease of Doing Business (COC-EODB), to be composed of five (5) members from the Senate, which shall include the Chairpersons of the Senate Committees on Trade and Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, and Economic Affairs; and five (5) members from the House of Representatives which shall include the Chairpersons of the House Committees on Trade and Industry, Civil Service and Professional Regulation, Government Reorganization, and Economic Affairs.

The COC-EODB shall be jointly chaired by the Chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce and Entrepreneurship and the House of Representatives Committee on Trade and Industry: Provided, That the oversight committee shall cease to exist after five (5) years upon the effectivity of this Act.

"The Secretariat of the COC-EODB shall be drawn from the existing personnel of the Senate and House of Representatives committees comprising the COC-EODB."

"Sec. 29. Appropriations. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current years appropriations of the concerned agencies. In addition, the amount of Three hundred million pesos (P300,000,000.00) as initial funding for the Authority to be charged against the unexpended Contingency Fund of the Office of the President is hereby appropriated. Thereafter, the amount needed for the implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act."

"Sec. 30. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The Authority with the CSC and DTI, and in coordination with the DICT, DOF, DILG, NEDA, PSA, CDA, SEC, the Office of the Ombudsman, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), shall promulgate the necessary rules and regulations within ninety (90) working days from the effectivity of this Act."

"Sec. 31. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act shall be declared invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Act."

"Sec. 32. Repealing Clause. All provisions of laws, presidential decrees, letters of instruction and other presidential issuances which are incompatible or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby deemed amended or repealed accordingly."

"Sec. 33. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect within fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation."