Valenzuela’s ‘Paspas Permit’ gets thumbs up from DTI chief

MANILA, Philippines — Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez has lauded Valenzuela City’s “Paspas Permit” system for being “the first of its kind” in the country as he expressed hope that other local government units would follow suit in making it easier to apply for business permits.

“At the end of the day, we all want our application [done] through mobile units — whether it’s a laptop, [tablet] or cell phone, wherein everything’s already here. That is the ease of doing business, and this is the challenge for many of us in government,” Lopez said during the app’s launching on Tuesday at Marco Polo Hotel in Pasig City.

The Paspas Permit system which can be accessed on Valenzuela.gov.ph boasts of a 10-second period for the processing of business permits.

Mayor Rex Gatchalian clarified, however, that the 10 seconds would begin only after confirmation of payment, which could be done either online through credit card or over-the-counter bank transactions.

Upon confirmation of payment, the system will generate a temporary 30-day business permit. Should irregularities be found in the documents, the permit may be revoked.

“This is an innovation because literally you don’t have to go all the way to city hall. Everything will be delivered to your doorstep,” Gatchalian said.