Philippine reform underway: Duterte wants end to permit queues and bribery

Permits to be issued within three days.

Rodrigo Duterte, the President-elect of Philippines, called for an end to corruption and long queues to obtain government permits and documents. Duterte will issue an order for agencies to release permits within three days, PhilStar reported. He wants applicants to be given a stub, indicating the number of days it will take for the permit to be completed. The government must keep a record of all the documents it issues. “There must be a ledger”, he said, regardless of the type of document. Citizens have to bribe officials when they want to apply for government permits and documents, Duterte added, particularly at the Bureau of Customs and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. “I do not want people spending money just to get something from government”, as citizens already pay taxes, he said.