Authorizing the President to Expedite the Processing and Issuance of National and Local Permits, Licenses and Certifications in Times of National Emergency

December 23, 2020

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11517

AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE PRESIDENT TO EXPEDITE THE PROCESSING AND ISSUANCE OF NATIONAL AND LOCAL PERMITS, LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS IN TIMES OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY

SECTION 1. Coverage.— This Act shall cover all agencies of the Executive branch, including departments, bureaus, offices, commissions, boards, councils; government instrumentalities, government-owned and -controlled corporations such as, but not limited to, the following: Department of Finance (DOF),Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR),Bureau of Customs (BOC);Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR),National Water Resources Board (NWRB),Environmental Management Bureau (EMB),Land Management Bureau; Department of Justice (DOJ),Land Registration Authority (LRA),Bureau of Immigration (BI);Department of Transportation (DOTr),Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB),Land Transportation Office (LTO),Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP),Philippine Ports Authority (PPA),Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA);Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP);Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG),Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP);Department of Health (DOH),Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth),Food and Drug Administration (FDA);Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT),National Telecommunications Commission (NTC);Department of Agriculture (DA),Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR);Department of Energy (DOE);Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC);Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE);Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD),Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF/Pag-IBIG),Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC);Social Security System (SSS);Government Service Insurance System (GSIS);and local government units.

SECTION 2. Authority of the President to Suspend the Requirements for National and Local Permits, Licenses and Certifications, and to Streamline and Expedite the Process for the Issuance Thereof.— Notwithstanding any law, decree, order or ordinance to the contrary, the President, in times of national emergency shall have the authority to:

(a) accelerate and streamline regulatory processes and procedures for new and pending applications and renewals of permits, licenses, clearances, certifications or authorizations, including fixing or shortening the periods provided for under existing laws, regulations, issuances, and ordinances;

(b) suspend or waive the requirements in securing such permits, licenses, clearances, certifications or authorizations; and

(c) in consultation with or upon the recommendation of the affected government agencies, may prescribe to be permanent the streamlined regulatory processes and procedures, and the suspension or waiver of the requirements in securing permits, licenses, clearances, and certifications or authorizations:

Provided,That the authority herein granted under subparagraphs (a),(b),and (c) of this section shall not be used to undermine the existing procedures and processes, under applicable laws, rules and regulations, meant to protect the environment, especially those that aim to safeguard protected areas and its buffer zones, and environmentally critical areas.

SECTION 3. Power to Suspend or Remove. — Consistent with Article VII, Sections 1 and 17 of the Constitution, the Revised Administrative Code, other existing laws, and jurisprudence, the President shall have the authority to suspend or remove, any government official or employee performing acts contrary to the preceding section.

SECTION 4. Separability Clause.— If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

SECTION 5. Repealing Clause.— All laws, decrees, orders, ordinances, rules and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 6. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect upon its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved: December 23, 2020.

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 117, No. 3, p. 564 on January 18, 2021.