By Genalyn Kabiling The campaign for good governance is paying off but the government cannot move forward alone and needs the cooperation of the public, Malacañang said Thursday. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo
(OPS / MANILA BULLETIN) Even as it welcomed the country's climb in the World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo urged anew the public to reject any form of corruption in transactions with the government. "The drive for good governance is paying off as the Office of the President welcomes the 149-page study of the World Bank, 'Doing Business 2020: Comparing Business Regulations in 190 Economies,' which shows a dramatic 29-notch rise of the Philippines under the leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte from its previous rank at the 124th spot to 95th (out of 190 countries) in the echelon for global ease of doing business (EODB)," Panelo said. READ MORE: PH moves up 29 notches in global ease of doing business ranking "We reiterate that the government cannot move forward alone. We therefore request the public not to enable or initiate corruption to skirt red tape in their transactions with the government," he said. He said the public should report any form of irregularity or suspicious actions undertaken by government personnel to 8888 Citizens' Complaint Hotline, the Presidential Complaint Center, the Anti-Red Tape Authority or to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. The Philippines climbed to 95th from the 124th place out of the 190 economies in the ease of doing base, according to a World Bank report.  The country scored 62.8 points this year, higher than last year's 57.68. The World Bank report found the country has improved in three areas namely in starting a business, dealing with construction permits, and protecting minority investors. In welcoming the country's improved ranking, Panelo said the President kept his campaign promise to combat red tape and corruption in government. "Many would recall that then Davao City Mayor Duterte vowed that there will be 'no more waiting' on the part of our citizens when he campaigned for the presidency in 2016. Thus, when he assumed the highest office of the land, he made good his promise to cut red tape and corruption in the bureaucracy," he said. "A responsive and efficient government is truly what our people deserve and the Duterte administration made sure that the results of its efforts would be tangible in this respect," he said. Panelo also cited that President Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business Act to help make government transactions faster. The law requires government agencies to act on applications within three days for simple transactions, seven days for complex ones and 20 days for those which are classified as highly technical, according to Panelo. READ MORE: Palace: WB report ranking is ‘strong vote of confidence’ for ‘no-nonsense’ campaigns of PRRD