President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. has appointed Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) officer-in-charge Ernesto Perez as the agency's new director-general, the Office of the Press Secretary announced Monday.
"President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Atty. Ernesto V. Perez as new Secretary (Director General) of the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA)," the statement read.
Perez will succeed Jeremiah Belgica who was at the agency's helm from July 2019 to June 2022.
He was appointed officer-in-charge last June by then-President Rodrigo Duterte, just days before stepping down from office.
In a statement, Perez said his appointment was "providential," as it would allow them to complete the plans set from the start — removing red tape and easing the process of doing business.
"ARTA will continue to be committed to performing its mandate by improving the ease of doing business in the country to help attract more investors. We will do our best to realize PBBM's vision for government agencies to streamline their processes to provide better services to people," he said.
He then thanked President Marcos for the appointment.
“I thank President Bongbong Marcos for his trust and for Executive Secretary Bersamin’s guidance and support, as well as my colleagues in the [ARTA], who are doing the legwork to ensure effective and efficient government service delivery,” he added.
“ARTA will continue to be committed to performing its mandate by improving the ease of doing business in the country to help attract more investors. We will do our best to realize PBBM’s vision for government agencies to streamline their processes to provide better services to people,” he said.
A lawyer and a certified public accountant, Perez served as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)–Consumer Protection Group before he joined ARTA.
