ORMOC CITY – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 8 held the inaugural Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Regional Forum 2025 as part of its ongoing efforts to improve public trust, accountability, and ease of doing business, which took place at Summit Hotel, Tacloban City, on September 10, 2025.
The event was bannered under the theme, “Empowering Local Governments Through EODB Reforms.”
Local chief executives, EODB focal points, and representatives from national government agencies (NGAs) came together at the forum, which was a first for Eastern Visayas, to exchange best practices and strategies for accelerating regulatory reform, digitizing frontline services, and cutting red tape in order to draw in investments, create jobs, and improve citizen satisfaction.
The department confirms its commitment to creating an Eastern Visayas that is transparent, responsive, and ready for investment by bringing together national agencies, local governments, and stakeholders under a common commitment to Ease of Doing Business reforms.
During the activity, DILG-8 Regional Director Arnel M. Agabe urged the participants to ensure compliance with the reforms offered by the EODB law, which will mold more empowered citizens in every municipality in the region. Moreover, he highlighted that the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, Republic Act No. 11032, must be adopted as a revolutionary tool to remove bureaucratic bottlenecks and uncover missing growth possibilities.
The implementation of EODB has made significant but inconsistent progress in Eastern Visayas. While 64% of LGUs have set up year-round Business One-Stop Shops (BOSS), only 73.37% of barangays have incorporated barangay clearances into the LGU permitting process.
On the one hand, only 64% of cities and municipalities have updated their Local Investment and Incentives Codes (LIICs), and only 57.7% have changed their local revenue regulations.
DILG-8 and its partners hope to provide LGUs with the framework, technical guidance, and resources necessary to promote governance and service delivery reforms through the forum’s series of learning sessions and knowledge exchanges. By Gwen Maurillo (EV Mail SEPTEMBER 8-14, 2025 issue)
