Getting into business with PBR

BUSINESS BITS
Art Tibaldo

Today, a smart businessman can download a government form, fill up the required information and submit it online for business registration without necessarily going to such offices as SSS, BIR, Pagibig, Philhealth, SEC and DTI.

The simplified process under the Philippine Business Registry or PBR is as convenient as going to an internet kiosk with the help of a DTI Teller or user can directly register online based on the briefings conducted by officials of the Department of Trade and Industry-PBR Office.

DTI-CAR Regional Director Myrna P. Pablo during a recent PBR
orientation in Baguio said that the interconnection of systems
involving these partnering agencies is another milestone for DTI and
partner agencies that should now be put into action.

Briefing her counterparts in the region, Rhoda Del Rosario of DTI-PBR Office said that business applications for sole proprietorship can
already be accommodated online and after the PBR launching at the
Securities and Exchange Commission on March 12, corporate applications can likewise be processed virtually.

The Philippines Business Registry is a Government-initiated projectthat facilitates business registration-related transactions by
integrating agencies involved in business registration, such as the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Social Security System (SSS), Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and Local Government Units (LGUs). The PBR is expected to provide a faster process for business registration, thus strengthening the government’s effort of providing quality service to the people and realizing its commitment to curb corruption and reduce red tape in the bureaucracy.

The PBR according to Del Rosario is a web-based system that serves as a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs who need to transact with several agencies to be able to start operating a business. Applicants need not physically go to each agency to register their businesses because
these agencies are already interlinked with PBR computerized
registration systems added Del Rosario.

Accordingly, applicants under sole proprietorships can already
validate existing and register their Business Names from the DTI, get
or validate their existing Tax Identification Numbers (TINs) from the
BIR and employer registration numbers from the Social Security System
(SSS). Likewise, applicants can also register and follow up their
registration with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth)
and Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) through the PBR system.

Sole proprietors who do not have computers and access to the internet in their locality can register from available computer cafés or go to DTI Offices with designated PBR Kiosks or tellers and register through them. Application through a teller will involve submission of a filled up application form which may be downloaded from the website or completed and printed by the public online for submission to the PBR
kiosks or tellers. For more information about PBR, please get in touch
with DTI Provincial offices in your area.