THE chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development on Monday expressed concern over reports that a year and a half into the Aquino administration, it has become more difficult to do business in the country, especially for local businessmen and entrepreneurs.

Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna was referring to the latest “Doing Business Report” prepared annually by the World Bank that said  the Philippines slipped two notches from its ranking in the previous year, down to 136th among 183 economies in ease of doing business.

The study revealed that there are no significant improvement in seven important indicators such as ease of starting a business, obtaining construction permits, getting credit, registering property, paying taxes, protecting investors and resolving insolvency. It did not factor in corruption or security, which are major problem areas in the Philippines.

“If the foreigners who make this survey are complaining, what more Pinoy entrepreneurs who have such a hard time doing business in their own country? Buti nga ’yung mga foreigner kung anu-anong incentive at special treatment ang ibinibigay. Pero ang sarili nating negosyante kawawa at kulang ang suporta,” said Casiño.

The militant legislator said for the business climate to improve in the country, one must start on the needs of the country’s  own local entrepreneurs, such as reducing the cost of electricity and oil by initially removing or reducing the value-added tax  and in the long term by bringing back regulation and government support, reducing the stringent requirements, fees and processes for putting up and sustaining a business or company, allowing small firms to reap the benefits of historically low credit-interest rates by rationalizing the credit systems and come up with a national strategy to consolidate micro and small firms in order to link them up with medium and large-scale enterprises.

Casiño said his committee is deliberating on various proposals to amend the barangay micro business enterprises law in order to encourage small firms to register their businesses by increasing and rationalizing the incentives granted to microbusiness enterprises, as well as increase their access to credit.

Also, rather than heed the calls of foreign business chambers for Charter change, Casiño said the government would be better off addressing the concerns raised by small and medium Filipino enterprises like those mentioned in the World Bank study.