MikeLigalig.com

Rep. Edgar Chatto, a principal author of the Anti-Red Tape Law, has lauded local government units (LGUs) after crafting their Citizen's Charter, a testament to burn the "fats" of frontline government bureaucracy.

But he reminded them as well of their duty to emasculate the flesh of their charter by faithful implementation, or the charter can simply end up an exercise of mockery to public thrust and trust.

At the same time, the congressman encouraged the LGUs which have none yet to hasten their process of formulation because transparency and efficiency can make a government credible.

The Citizen's Charter is an official document - a service standard or a pledge - that communicates information on the services provided by the concerned government agency to the public.         

It describes the step-by-step procedure for availing a particular service, and the guaranteed performance level that the people expect for that service.

The Citizen's Charter is provided for in Republic Act 9485 or An Act To Improve Efficiency in the Delivery of Government Service to the Public By Reducing Bureaucratic Red Tape Preventing Graft and Corruption, and Providing Penalties Therefor. It is shortly titled the Anti Red Tape Law of 2007.

The Act, authored in Congress by Chatto and Reps. Jose de Venecia, Rodriguez

Dadivas, Ace Barbers, Eduardo Zialcita, Rey Aquino and Florencio Noel, responds to the urgent need to establish an effective system that will eliminate bureaucratic red tape, avert graft and corrupt practices, and improve efficiency in government frontline service.

The Act applies to all government offices and agencies, including LGUs and government-owned and -controlled corporations, with or without charter, that provides frontline services.

Chatto's counterpart authors in the Senate of the Anti-Red Tape Law are Sens. Juan Flavier, Edgardo Angara, Aquilino Pimentel, Jr. and Panfilo Lacson.

Chatto himself enlightened several municipal chapters of the Association of Barangay Councils, as in the case of Candijay ABC which invited him as the resource speaker, in their orientation and formulation of the Barangay Citizen's Charter. - the Bohol Chronicle