Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SEVENTEENTH (17" ) CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

HOUSE BILL NO. 5034

INTRODUCED BY: REPRESENTATIVE FERJENEL G, BIRON, M.D.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The 1987 Constitution, particularly Section 20 of Article I recognizes the
indispensable role of the private sector, encourages private enterprise, and provides
incentives to needed investments. Pursuant thereto, the State as a policy aims to (1.)
provide a business environment that is conducive to the establishment and operation of
businesses in the country, (2.) simplify business permit and licensing system procedures and
streamline the requirements at the national and local levels, and (3.) promote transparency in
government with regard to business registrations and other manner of transacting with the
public to reduce red tape and expedite permitting, licensing and other similar transactions in
government. It is in this light to that this representation has filed this bill, which will be
known as the “Ease of Doing Business Act of 2017”.

‘The purpose of this bill is to provide an easy, simple, straightforward and trouble-free
avenue for entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium businesses and ordinary citizens who
would like to venture into business by introducing business permitting and licensing reforms,
the institutionalizing of structures and strategies by establishing a national policy on ease of
doing business with the creation of the Ease of Doing Business Commission and by providing
for penalties and criminal liability for violation thereof.

In view of the foregoing, passage of this bill is earnestly sought.

mk

REP. Kine G. BIRON, M.D.
4" District, Hoilo


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Quezon City, Metro Manila

SEVENTEENTH (17"") CONGRESS
FIRST REGULAR SESSION

5031

HOUSE BILL NO.

INTRODUCED BY: REPRESENTATIVE FERJENEL G. BIRON, M.D.

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL POLICY ON EASE OF DOING BUSINESS,
CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE EASE OF DOING BUSINESS COMMISSION,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress

assembled:
ARTICLE I
BASIC PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This law shall be known as the “Ease of Doing Business Act of
2017”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. ~ The State recognizes the indispensable role of the private
sector, encourages private enterprise, and provides incentives to needed investments.
Pursuant thereto, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to.

a) Provide a business environment that is conducive to the establishment and operation
of businesses in the country,

b) Simplify business permit and licensing system procedures and streamline the
requirements at the national and local levels; and

c) Promote transparency in government with regard to business registrations and other
manner of transacting with the public to reduce red tape and expedite permitting,

licensing and other similar transactions in government


SEC. 3. Definition of Terms.— For the purpose of this Act, the following terms shall mean:

a) Applicant ~ any natural or juridical entity set to engage or engaged in bi

applying for a license, clearance or permit,

b) Business Entity ~ any individual or juris

Philippines;

iness who is

al entity engaged in business in the

©) Business One-Stop Shop ~ an arrangement where a single common site or location is

designated for all concerned agencies in the Business Permit and Licensing System to

receive and process applications for license, clearance or permit;

d) Business Permit- a document issued by the Office of the Local Chief Executive of a

city or municipality to a business entity allowing it to legally operate in the locality

within a prescribed period;

e) Business Registration — a set of regulatory requirements that a start-up or business

entity must comply with to engage in business, such as but not limited to, collection

or preparation of a number of documentation, submission to government authorities,

approval of application submitted, and receipt of a formal certificate or certificates,

licenses, clearances, permits and similar documents which confirm the eligibility to

operate as a legitimate business entity;

f) Central Business Portal - a dedicated business Web portal that allows start-up and

business entities to access a one-stop or single-entry point to submit applications and

access business registration-related information;

9) Charges —a pecuniary liability, as rents or fees against persons or property;

h) Clearance ~ a document in a form of a certificate issued by a government agency or

instrumentality to a business entity, which is a requisite for their business operations

or transactions as required by law;

i) Complex application ~ application which necessitates inter-agency collaboration or

multi-department involvement in the resolution of complicated issues by a business

licensing, regulatory or permitting office as required by law;

j) Fee ~ a reasonable charge fixed by law or local ordinance for the regulation or

inspection of a business or activity;

k)_ License —a permit or document issued by national government agencies necessary for

starting and pursuing a business such as but not limited to primary license and

secondary license;


1) Primary license or primary franchise — an initial issuance, authority or certification
accorded by a government agency or instrumentality conferring a right to a business
entity to engage in business transactions or activities as required by law,

m) Processing Time — the time spent by an applicant from the submission of an
application with complete requirements, accompanying documents and payment of
fees to the receipt of a certification or such similar documents approving or
disapproving the application for a license, clearance or permit;

n) Red tape - describes regulations and rules, administrative procedures and systems that
are not effective in achieving their intended objectives and as a result produces
suboptimal and undesired social outcomes;

©) Regulation - any legal instrument that gives effect toa government policy intervention
and includes licensing, imposing information obligation, compliance to standards or
payment of any form of fee, levy, charge or any other statutory and regulatory
requirements necessary to carry out any business activity;

p) Secondary license or permit — a certification, authority or accreditation issued to a
registered business entity which authorizes them to engage in business activities as
required by regulatory laws; and

q) Simple application — application which only requires ministerial actions on the part of
the business licensing or permitting office, or that which presents only

inconsequential issues for resolution by the concerned office.

SEC. 4. Coverage. - Other laws notwithstanding, this Act shall apply to all national
government agencies or instrumentalities, and local government units involved in the

issuance of licenses, clearances or permits to business entities.

ARTICLE II
BUSINESS PERMITTING AND LICENSING REFORMS

SEC. . Requirements for License, Clearance and/or Permit Application— All. national
government agencies and local government units issuing licenses, clearances or permit to
business entities shall post a comprehensive checklist of requirements for every type of

license, clearance or permit being issued. A uniform checklist of requirements required by


licensing and permitting offices issuing a similar license, clearance or permit shall be

established when applicable.

The checklist of requirements, step-by-step procedure and schedule of fees for the issuance of
a license, clearance or permit shall be conspicuously posted in the premises of national and
local government licensing and permitting agencies and in the Business One Stop Shop or in
areas designated by cities and municipalities. The same information shall likewise be posted
online in the official website of national government agencies and local government units and
shall be linked to the Central Business Portal

Business entities shall be limited to submitting only the requirements provided in the
checklist in the processing of an application: Provided, That in cases where additional
documents are required, the business licensing or permitting office shall notify the applicant

of the reasons he must comply with the submission of such documents,

SEC.6. Prescribed Processing time for License, Clearance or Permit Applications. —
National goverment agencies and local government units involved in the processing and
issuance of licenses, clearances or permits to business entities shall process the application of
business entities and communicate the decision regarding approval or if the application has
been disapproved, along with comments or reasons for such disapproval, within the

prescribed processing time.

For business entities classified as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) as defined
in Section 3 of Republic Act No. 9501, the prescribed processing time shall in no case be
longer than three (3) working days for simple applications and ten (10) working days for
complex applications from the time the application is received.

For special type of businesses that require clearances, accreditation or licenses issued by
government agencies including regulatory agencies as provided for by law where technical
evaluation or such necessary condition is required in the processing of licenses, clearances or
permits, the prescribed processing time shall in no case be longer than thirty (30) working
days or as determined by the government agency or instrumentality concerned, whichever is

shorter.


A national government agency or instrumentality or local government unit shall assign a
unique identification number to an applicant that shall become the identifying number for all
subsequent business registration-related transactions between the agency and the business
entity. A reference number for each business registration related transaction shall also be
provided to the applicant to track the status of an application, whether manually or
electronically submitted.

SEC.7. Automatic Approval of License, Clearance or Permit Applications. ~ An application
for a license, clearance or permit shall be deemed approved upon failure or inaction of the
concerned national government agency or local government unit to process and issue the
license, clearance or permit after the prescribed processing time has lapsed without informing
the applicant of the error, omissions or additional documents required for submission:
Provided, That all required documents have been submitted and all required fees and charges
have been paid:

Provided, further, That in cases where the cause of delay is due to force majeure or natural or
man-made disaster which may result to damage or destruction of documents, the prescribed
processing time in the preceding Section shall be suspended and appropriate adjustments
shall be made:

Provided finally, That if the application for license, clearance or permit shall require the
approval of the Sangguniang Bayan in the case of a municipality, Sangguniang Panlungsod in
the case of a city or Sangguniang Panlalawigan in the case of a province, and the respective
Sanggunian has denied the application, such case shall be exempt from the operation of
Sections 6 and 7 of this Act

SEC.8. Exter
processing time for license, clearance or permit applications may be extended for a

ion of License, Clearance or Permit Applications. The prescribed

reasonable period when extraordinary due diligence in reviewing the qualifications and merit
of the application is required: Provided, That the processing time shall only be extended
once: Provided further, That the concerned national government agency or local government
unit shall inform the applicant prior to the lapse of the prescribed processing time that an

extension is required in evaluating the application


SEC.9. Requirements for Business Permit Application. — A single or unified business
application form shall be used in processing new applications for business permits and
business renewals which consolidates all the information of the applicant by various local
government departments, such as but not limited to the local taxes and clearances, building
clearance, sanitary permit, zoning clearance, and other specific local government unit
requirements as the case may be, including the fire clearance from the Bureau of Fire

Protection

The unified form shall be made available online using technology-neutral platforms such as
but not limited to the Central Business Portal or the city or municipality’s website and

various channels for dissemination.

SEC. 10. Validity of Business Permit. ~ Business permits shall be valid for a period of one
(1) year. The city or municipality may have the option to renew business permits within the

first month of the year or on the anniversary date of the issuance of the business permit

SEC.11. Computerized or Software-enabled Business Permit and Licensing System—

Within a period of one (1) year upon the effectivity of this Act, cities or municipalities shall,

as far as practicable, automate their business permitting and licensing system (BPLS) or set

up an electronic-Business One Stop Shop for a more efficient business registration.

‘The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) shall make
available to qualified local government units the software for the computerization of the
BPLS. The DICT, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the
Department of Trade Industry (DTI) shall provide technical assistance in the planning and

implementation of a computerized or software-enabled BPLS.

SEC. 12. Business One Stop Shop — A one-stop business facilitation service, hereinafier
referred to as the Business One Stop Shop (BOSS), shall be established for the city or
municipality’s business permitting and licensing system to receive and process manual or

electronic submission of license, clearance or permit applications

Municipalities and cities without electronic mechanism for submission and processing of
permit, license and clearance applications shall set up a BOSS. There shall be a queuing
mechanism in the BOSS to better manage the flow of applications among the local


government units’ departments receiving and processing applications, including the Bureau
of Fire Protection (BFP).

Cities and municipalities with online mechanism for submission and processing of license,
clearance or permit applications shall receive and process applications electronically.
Downloadable and unified application form, comprehensive checklist of requirements, step-
by-step procedures, and schedule of fees shall be made available online in the cities or

municipalities’ websites:

Provided, That to lessen the transaction requirements, other local clearances such as but not
limited to sanitary permits, environmental and agricultural clearances shall be issued together
with the business permit: Provided, further, That cities or municipalities which use manual
signatures shall designate alternative signatories in the absence of the authorized approving
authority: Provided, finally, That cities or municipalities with e-BOSS shall develop
electronic versions of licenses, clearances or permits with the same level of authority, which

may be printed by businesses in the convenience of their offices.

SEC. 13.Streamlined Procedures for Securing Fire Safety Clearance— The following
procedure shall be adopted for the issuance of the Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC),

to make business permitting more efficient.

a. Issuance of Fire Safety Clearance shall in no case be longer than thirty (30) working
days;

b. For new business permit application, the FSIC already issued during the Occupancy
Permit stage shall be sufficient as basis for the issuance of the FSIC for a business
entity as a requirement for the business permit,

c. For renewal of business permit, the BFP shall present the FSIC to the city or
municipality, either thru the copy of the FSIC or the negative/positive list, Provided,
That the business entity shall inform the BFP and submit the necessary documentary
requirements if renovations, modifications or any form of alterations are made to the

original building structure thirty (30) days before the expiration of the business

permit;
d. If the BFP fails to furnish the city or municipality with the FSIC or inform the same
thru the negative/positive list, the business entity shall be deemed to have a valid

FSIC and therefore, the basis for the renewal of the business permit;


e. The BFP or any of its officials or employees shall not sell, offer to sell, or recommend
specific brands of fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment:

f. The BEP shall co-locate with the BOSS or in an appropriate arca designated by the
city or municipality within its premises to assess and collect the fire safety inspection
fees;

g. The BFP may enter into agreements with cities/municipalities allowing the latter to be
deputized as assessors or collecting agents for the fire safety inspection fees; and

h, The BFP may develop and adopt an online or electronic mechanism in assessing fees,
collecting/accepting payments and sharing or exchange of other relevant data on
business permit processing

The pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 9514, otherwise known as the Revised Fire
Code of the Philippines of 2008, are hereby amended accordingly

SEC.14. Central Business Portal~ To promote transparency and sustain ease in doing
business, the DICT shall establish, through the Government Infrastructure, a cloud-native
Central Business Portal or other similar technology as the DICT may prescribe, which shall
serve as a central system to receive application and capture application data from business

entities.

‘The Central Business Portal shall securely connect government agencies, such as but not
limited to the DTI, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Cooperative
Development Authority (CDA), regulatory agencies, and local government units to receive
base or common business applicant data or information required for each agency to process
applications, respectively, and through which each respective agency shall securely generate

and issue digitally signed business license document

SEC. 15. Philippine Business Registry Databank. ~ Business licensing or permitting
agencies such as but not limited to the DTI, SEC, CDA, BIR, and local government units
shall access the Philippine Business Registry Databank to verify the validity, existence and
other information relevant to a business entity

The concerned national government agencies and all local government units. shall
periodically submit to the system updates relative to the information registered with them

The DICT, in consultation with the concemed agencies, shall develop and manage the


Philippine Business Registry Databank and prescribe the data to be submitted by national

government agencies and local government units.

Submission of documents already provided by an applicant to an agency with access to the
Philippine Business Registry Databank shall no longer be required by other agencies having,

similar ace

ss. The concemed agency shall crosscheck and retrieve the required information

or document in the Philippine Business Registry Databank

At the local government level, the City or Municipal BPLO shall not require the same
documents already provided by the applicant to the local government departments in
connection with other business-related license, clearance or permits such as but not limited to

tax clearance, occupancy permit and barangay clearance.

SEC. 16, Regulatory Impact Assessment. ~ All proposed regulations of national government
agencies and local government units shall undergo regulatory impact assessment to establish
if the proposed regulation does not add undue regulatory burden and cost to business entities

and national and local government agencies.

The Ease of Doing Business Commission, created under this Act, in coordination with other
national government agencies and local goverment units, shall continue the review and
repeal of existing executive issuances, and recommend the repeal of existing laws and local
ordinances which are outdated, redundant, and adds undue regulatory burden to business

entities.

ARTICLE IL

INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURES AND STRATEGIES

SEC. 17. National Policy on Ease of Doing Business.

National Policy on Ease of Doing Business which shall refer to a comprehensive business

There is hereby established a

registration and regulatory management policy to improve competitiveness and ease undue

bureaucratic and regulatory burden to business entities,


SEC. 18. Ease of Doing Business Commission. — Within sixty (60) days after the effectivity
of this Act, there is hereby created the Ease of Doing Business Commission, herein referred
to as the Commission, to ensure the attainment of the objectives of this Act. ‘The
Commission shall be the policy-making body on business registration and regulatory
management and shall set the overall direction for the implementation of the National Policy
on Ease of Doing Business.

The Commission shall be the lead agency in the implementation of this Act and it shall be an
attached agency to the Office of the President.

SEC. 19. Powers and Functions. - The Commission shall have the following powers and

functions.

a) Plan, implement, and oversee a national policy on ease of doing business,

b) Receive complaints, institute investigations for violations of this Act;

c) Assist complainants in filing necessary cases without prejudice to the jurisdiction of
the Civil Service and the Ombudsman as the case may be;

d) Facilitate the issuance of licenses, clearances or permit deemed approve by virtue of
Section 7 of this Act;

e) Compel or petition any government agency, instrumentality or local government to
issue the permit, license or clearance of business entities deemed approved by virtue
of Section 7 of this Act;

f) Periodically review and assess the country’s competitiveness performance, challenges
and issues;

g) Recommend policies, processes and systems to improve regulatory management to
increase the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of permitting and licensing
agencies,

h) Conduct regulatory management training programs to capacitate national government
agencies and local government units to comply with sound regulatory management
practices;

i) Prepare regulatory management manuals for all government agencies or
instrumentalities and LGUs,

j) Provide technical assistance, advisory opinions in the review of proposed national or

local legislation, regulations or procedures;


k) Ensure the dissemination of and public access to information on regulatory
management system and changes in laws and regulations relevant to the public by
establishing the Philippine Business Regulations Information System:

1) Enlist the technical assistance of other national government agencies in the
implementation of the powers and function provided for in this Act,

m) Propose legislation, amendments or modifications to Philippine laws related to case of
doing business;

n) Monitor and review the implementation of this Act including compliance of all
concemed agencies and LGUs with the policies set herein;

©) Formulate and amend when necessary the Implementing Rules and Regulations and
the corresponding standards for good regulatory discipline; and

Pp) Generally perform such acts ay may be necessary, to attain the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 20, Composition of the Commission. The Commission shall be composed of a
Chairperson, the Secretary of the DTI and the Secretary of the Department of Finance (DOF)
as ex-officio members, and one (1) private sector representative each for the MSME sector

and large industry sector.

The private sector representatives who shall be appointed by the President, shall be citizens
and residents of the Philippines, of good moral character, of recognized probity and

independence and must have distinguished themselves in the business sector they represent.

‘The ex-officio members of the Commission may designate their respective alternates in a
permanent capacity who shall be at least an Undersecretary in rank and their acts shall be

considered the acts of their principals.

SEC. 21. Term of Office. - The term of the Chairperson and the two (2) private sector
representatives shall be three (3) years and may be reappointed once.

SEC. 22. Chairperson of the Commission.~The Chairperson of the Commission who shall
be appointed by the President of the Philippines shall be the head of the agency with the rank
of a cabinet secretary. The Chairperson shall be a citizen and resident of the Philippines, of
good moral character, of recognized probity and independence and must have distinguished
himself professionally in the fields of commerce, domestic and international trade,

management and other economic disciplines. He shall preside over the meetings of the


Commission. He shall be the appointing authority of the employees and other officials of the

Commission as provided for in existing laws, rules and regulations

Sec. 23. Secretariat of the Commission. — The Commission shall establish a Secretariat to

assist them in the implementation of this Act and in the performance of their duties.

‘The Commission shall establish an organizational structure including regional offices, as may
be required to effectively carry out its powers and functions, The staffing pattern and
compensation schedule of the Commission shall be drawn up in accordance with existing

laws, rules and regulations

SEC. 24. Executive Director. — The Secretariat of the Commission shall be headed by an
Executive Director. He shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines from the list of
nominees submitted by the Commission. He shall serve for a term of three (3) years, and may
be reappointed once. The Executive Director shall be a citizen and resident of the Philippines
and must possess executive and management experience of at least three (3) years and with
considerable exposure in the fields of commerce, domestic and international trade, and other

economic disciplines.

ARTICLE IV
PROHIBITED ACTS AND PENALTIES
SEC.25. Prohibited Acts. — The following shall constitute a violation of this Act

1. Refusal to accept application within the prescribed period or any document being
submitted by the applicant, Provided that all required documents have been
submitted and the necessary fees have been paid;

2. Failure to refer back to the applicant an application which, cannot be acted upon
due to lack or incomplete requirements or non-payment of required fees and/or
charges within the prescribed period;

3. Failure to act on an application despite the complete submission of requirements

and payment of required fees or charges within the prescribed period;


4. Failure to give the applicant a written notice on the disapproval of an application
within the prescribed period or inform the applicant of any error, omission or
deficiency in the application;

5. Imposition of additional irrelevant requirements other than those provided by the

concemed agency or local government unit

SEC.26. Penalty. - Penalties for the violations of the preceding section shall be as follows:
1. First offense ~ Thirty (30) days suspension without pay;
2, Second Offense ~ Three (3) months suspension without pay; and
3. Third Offense ~ Dismissal and perpetual disqualification to hold public office,
cancellation of Civil Service eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits and one

(1) to six (6) years imprisonment;

Criminal liability will also attach once the violation was done deliberately and maliciously
with the purpose of harassing the applicant and/or to solicit favor in cash or in kind. In such
case, the provisions of the Revised Penal Code shall apply and such other applicable penal

laws.

SEC 27. Liability. -The head of office or agency or supervising officer designated to be the
authorized or final signatory to the issuance of a license, permit or clearance shall be held

liable and accountable in the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 28. Jurisdiction. ~ The administrative jurisdiction on any violation of the provisions of
this Act shall be vested either in the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Office of the
Ombudsman whereas the criminal jurisdiction shall be vested with the appropriate courts as
specified under applicable laws.

ARTICLE V
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SEC. 29. Congressional Oversight Committee. ~ To oversee implementation of this Act,
there shall be created a Congressional Oversight Committee on Ease of Doing Business
(COC-EDB), to be composed of five (5) members from the Senate, which shall include the

Chairpersons of the Senate Committees on Trade and Commerce and Entrepreneurship, Civil


Service Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation, and Economic Affairs; and
five (5) members from the House of Representatives which shall include the Chairpersons of
the House Committees on Trade and Industry, Civil Service Government Reorganization and
Professional Regulation, and Economic Affairs. The COC-EDB shall be jointly chaired by
the Chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce and Entrepreneurship and

the House of Representatives Committee on Trade and Industry.

‘The COC-EDB shall cease to exist five (5) years after its organization. Its functions, duties
and responsibilities together with all of its records, shall be transferred to the Commission:
Provided, That the Commission shall periodically submit reports on the implementation of
this Act to Congress through the Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce and

Entrepreneurship and the House Committee on Trade and Industry

‘The Secretariat of the COC-EDB shall be drawn from the existing personnel of the Senate

and House of Representatives committees comprising the COC-EDB.

SEC. 30. Appropriations. — The amount of Twenty million pesos (P20,000,000) as initial
funding for the Commission is hereby appropriated to be charged against the unexpended
Contingency Funds of the Office of the President. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the
operation and maintenance of the Commission shall be included in the annual General

Appropriations Act

SEC. 31. Transitory Provision. — All business regulatory management programs and
business-related anti-red tape initiatives across government agencies shall be rationalized and
the management thereof shall be transferred to the Commission. The DTI, the National
Competitiveness Council (NCC), the DOF, the Development Academy of the Philippines
(DAP), and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) shall submit to the
Commission a report of the status of their respective projects related to business regulatory

management,

The Commission, in consultation with the Competitiveness Bureau of the DTI, shall
determine the composition of the temporary Secretariat of the Commission. The teams or
units involved in regulatory improvement or ease of doing business-related programs of the
DTI-Competitiveness Bureau shall serve as temporary Secretariat of the Commission until

such time that its organizational structure is determined: Provided, That the DTI-


Competitiveness Bureau shall serve as Secretariat to the Commission for no longer than six

(6) months upon the effectivity of this Act.

SEC. 32. Transition from Manual to Software-Enabled Business Registration. - Within
‘one (1) year after the effectivity of this Act, the DICT, in coordination with the members of
the Commission, local government units and other concemed agencies shall, develop the
necessary software and technology-neutral platforms and secured infrastructure for the
implementation of this Act.

SI

effectivity of this Act the Commission, in consultation with concemed government agencies,

TION 33. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ Within ninety (90) days after the

private sector, and other stakeholders, shall issue the implementing rules and regulations of
this Act

SECTION 34, Separability Clause. — \f any part or provision of this Act is declared as
unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions which are not affected shall continue to be in

full force and effect.

SECTION 35. Repealing Clause. — All laws, executive orders, decrees, rules and
regulations, or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby deemed

repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SECTION 36. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation

Approved,